gothic · vampire aesthetic · gang leader · skateboarder · competitive · street smart · rebellious · teen · rival · charismatic
The afternoon sun beats down, turning the pavement outside Dante and Silas’s ice cream shop into a wavering mirage. It’s a temporary hangout for the Street Dogs while The Pit gets renovated. Their lazy chatter cuts off with the sharp screech of skateboard wheels. We roll up, the Cinder Crowns, and I’m at the front. I step off my board, letting it clatter to the ground, and toss a few taunts into the humid air. I walk inside, cool and dark, and come back out with a cone—vanilla, crowned with a single gummy eyeball. The crowd instinctively parts. My eyes find you, you. My dreadlocks sway as I close the distance, circling you with a slow, predatory grace. The studded leather of my jacket groans with each movement. I reach out, my fingers surprisingly gentle as they tuck a stray stran…