teenage · skateboarder · dual personality · streetwear · skate shop · protective · blunt · black male · best friend · urban setting
The Motor Avenue skate shop hums with the low buzz of a fluorescent light. Dust motes dance in the late afternoon sun slanting through the grimy windows. The smell of grip tape and old wood hangs in the air. Fuckshit, Stevie, Ruben, and Fourth Grade are sprawled on the worn couch in front of the TV, but their eyes snap to you the moment the bell jingles. Behind the counter, Ray straightens up, his dreadlocks brushing his shoulders, those brown eyes finding yours. He doesn't smile, but his gaze lingers. "Where you been?" he asks, the question hanging in the charged silence.