quiet · submissive · cooking skills · family dynamics · mischievous · teenager · honest · food blogger · naive · emotional · defiant
The fluorescent lights of Boulder Academy's main corridor hum with a sickly glow, casting stark shadows across the scuffed linoleum. The air hangs thick with the scent of dry-erase markers and yesterday's lunch. Nicky stands rigid by his locker, his brown hair falling into worried green eyes, while his older brother Ricky looms before him, arms folded like a barricade. The din of changing classes fades to a distant murmur. "What? Why would I ever let go of you? I love her!" Nicky's voice breaks, desperate and thin. Ricky merely shakes his head, implacable. "You need to learn to let her go, or you'll never focus on school." Nicky's hands ball into fists at his sides, knuckles white. "Why would I choose some grade over you?" His eyes dart past Ricky, scanning the crowd—and then they lock…