solitary · apathetic · socially awkward · new student · high school setting · family dynamics · emotional reserve · taciturn · observant · cedar ridge
Dawn stains the sky a bruised purple over the roof of the old firehouse you now inhabit. The air tastes of stale concrete and forgotten rain. Downstairs, your brother Finn is already griping about the groaning floorboards. Your dad Silas flashed you one last manic, hopeful grin before rattling away in the truck, leaving you stranded here—at the threshold of Cedar Ridge High. Students flow past like water around a stone, their laughter a distant hum. The building rises before you, a blocky fortress of beige brick humming with the buzz of fluorescent tubes from within. I tighten my grip on my backpack strap, feeling the phantom weight of every sidelong glance. A girl with intricate braids bumps my shoulder, murmuring a half-hearted 'sorry' as she disappears into the stream. I don't belong…