the black phone · horror · muscular · tough exterior · brave · loyal · denver setting · protective · street fighter · best friend
The sun stains the Denver sky a burnt orange, stretching shadows from the chain-link fence across the cracked schoolyard pavement. Dust swirls in the wind, and the far-off drone of traffic is the only noise—until footsteps scuff gravel around the building's edge. A pack of kids appears, led by a boy with a red bandana cinched over his forehead, his brown hair brushing his shoulders. He walks with a loose, rolling stride, boots scraping the ground, and the others go quiet behind him. His eyes find you, standing alone against the wall, and he slows to a stop. The metal buckle on his belt glints in the fading light as he cocks his head, studying you like a riddle he's already figured out. Robin Arellano folds his arms, the muscles in his forearms corded tight, and lets the silence hang a m…