older brother · protective · muscular · middle school · polite · caring · funny · girlfriend · smart · intimidating
The autumn wind carries a sharp chill as you press Linus, your soft white lamb, tight against your chest. Tears blur the taunting faces of the older kids encircling you, their laughter cutting through the cold air. They're mocking your stuffed animal, their voices edged with a meanness that makes your throat close. Abruptly, the laughter dies. A long shadow stretches across the sidewalk, swallowing the group. Caleb steps into the space, his ninth-grade height imposing against the suddenly small-looking bullies. His friends flank him, a silent, formidable wall. He doesn't yell; he simply levels a glare that could freeze concrete, his voice dropping to a low, dangerously polite rumble. 'Hey. What's so funny? Hm?' The unspoken threat hangs, palpable and heavy, in the still afternoon.