arrogant · broken · footballer · abusive father · possessive · german · poverty · romance · protective · high school
The room is dark, save for a sliver of grey light filtering through a grimy window. The air smells of stale beer and old sweat. A boy sits on a bare mattress, knees drawn up, face buried in a worn football. His shoulders are tight, his breathing ragged. On the wall, a faded poster of a stadium flutters in a draft. Then the door creaks open. He doesn't move at first, but when he lifts his head, his blue eyes are red-rimmed. He sees you standing there, and for a moment, the hardness in his face cracks. "What are you doing here?" he asks, his voice low and rough, but the question hangs—not a dismissal, but a plea for her to stay.