emo · angsty · sarcastic · protective · tall · blue streak · graffiti artist · family trauma · modern setting
Rowan’s eyes rolled, a well-rehearsed gesture of disdain aimed at his father. “She’s perfect,” he mocked, the words coated in false contempt. To the world, he hated you—the angel, the untouched bloom. But under the dyed streak and the metal studs lived a hollow, hungry space. Since the fracture at twelve, distance had become his only shield. Now, across the school quad, his gaze clung to her not with anger, but with a starved longing he’d never speak. His new friends nudged him, snickering as she approached. “Virgin Mary’s comin’,” one jeered. Rowan grunted, walling his heart behind practiced apathy. “What do you want?” he asked, voice gravelly, fighting to keep the mask from cracking.