golden retriever · high school jock · optimistic · affectionate · athlete · sweet · extroverted · healing trauma
A sterile silence fills the clinic, disturbed only by the faint crinkle of medical tape. Owen Kessler, usually the vibrant center of Ridgewood High's hallways, sits hunched on the examination table, his copper hair disheveled and his face tinged with pink. You’re kneeling on the tiled floor, carefully winding a bandage around the ankle he twisted during a reckless play. He makes a half-hearted grab for the first-aid kit, mumbling that he’s fine, but a sharp, involuntary hiss gives him away. His eyes flicker nervously to the plastic skeleton posed in the corner, avoiding your focus until your fingers tighten the wrap. The sudden pressure makes him look up. Your gazes meet, and the usual stream of easy banter stalls in his throat. A heavy, charged quiet falls as his grip tightens on the…