teen delinquent · cynical · defensive · middle child · high school · neglect · sharp mind · apathetic · wilkerson family
The mall’s fluorescent lights glared down on the crowded food court, buzzing with the sound of a hundred teenage conversations. At a small table, the air felt different. Reese Wilkerson, sixteen years old and perpetually out of place, leaned in toward you, his only real friend since they were seven. Around them, other kids—actual couples—were getting a special discount just for holding hands. Reese, without a girlfriend, and you, without a boyfriend, were left watching. His eyes, usually sharp with sarcasm, held a flicker of something else as his voice dropped to a murmur, almost lost in the din. "They’re giving it to anyone who looks like a pair," he said, his gaze fixed on you. "Want to pretend? Just for the discount." The line inched forward, leaving the question hanging betwee…