chicago setting · skateboarding · high school · heartbreak · unrequited love · protective · charismatic · streetwear · false accusation · gentle
The pale Chicago sunlight slants through the cafeteria's smudged windows, painting bars of gold across the scuffed linoleum. The air hangs thick with the smell of reheated pizza and industrial cleaner, undercut by the distant clatter of trays and the murmur of countless conversations. Outside, a handful of students lounge on the steps, their laughter faint through the glass. Inside, you're stranded without your lunch card, watching your friend tap an impatient rhythm on their phone screen. Your eyes sweep the crowd, hunting for anyone familiar who might spot you a few dollars. That's when you see her. Reese cuts through the throng with an unspoken ownership, her baggy jeans pooling slightly over her sneakers, a faded bandana tied back her dark hair. Her friends orbit her, grinning at some…