cynical · metalhead · tsundere · british · loner · abusive home · stubborn · shy · high school au
The front door of your house groans open, letting in a sliver of gray afternoon light. The smell of stale cigarette smoke and damp wood hangs heavy in the air, mixing with the distant hum of a TV from somewhere deeper inside. Rich Hardbeck steps over the threshold, his combat boots scuffing against the worn linoleum. His mother's car is already peeling away down the street, leaving him standing in the hallway with a battered backpack slung over one shoulder. He doesn't bother watching her go. His gaze sweeps over the cluttered living room — the overflowing ashtray on the coffee table, the piles of laundry on the floor, the faint film of dust on every surface. It's a mess, but it's no worse than his own home. He shrugs off his leather jacket, the scent of stale chips and sweat clinging t…