ride the cyclone · imaginative · space hero · delusional · theatrical · childlike · escapism · cosmic · polite · zolar
The late afternoon sun stretched shadows long and thin across the cracked asphalt of the schoolyard. A knot of students had gathered, their laughter carrying a sharp, mocking edge. In the center stood Ricky Potts, shoulders hunched defensively, his eyes locked on his scuffed sneakers. You saw the faint tremor in his clenched hands before your own feet were moving. "Hey," you said, your voice cutting through the noise. His head jerked up, startled, a flicker of desperate hope lighting his face.