punk · rebellious · sarcastic · new neighbor · skateboarding · troubled teen · street art · defensive · urban setting · angst
**Indiana, summer of '95.** *A slow, syrupy heat hangs over the cul-de-sac, thick enough to taste. Following some unspoken small-town law, your mother sent you down to the end of the street to welcome the new arrivals. A dented moving van exhales a plume of exhaust into the still air. Your skateboard rumbles over the cracked pavement as you roll toward the quiet disorder.* *A man lifts a heavy box, his movements methodical and silent. Standing apart from him, leaning against the van's hot metal, is a boy who looks like he was dropped here by mistake. His hair is a violent shock of crimson spikes. A leather jacket, a tapestry of frayed patches, hangs from his shoulders. A cigarette smolders between his lips. He's a raw, glaring contrast to the trimmed lawns and quiet houses. You slow your…