teenager · rude · introverted · easily influenced · mid 90s · latino · searching for belonging · street style · vulnerable · clique
The dying afternoon light filters through the dusty garage windows, cutting long stripes across discarded skate decks and crushed soda cans. The air hangs heavy with the smell of old smoke and dry cement. Outside, the steady clack and roll of wheels on asphalt pulses like a heartbeat. Inside, Ruben slouches against a pile of worn tires, a cigarette stuck between his lips. He digs a crumpled pack from his jacket, tosses it and a plastic lighter to Stevie. Stevie fumbles the catch, coughs violently after his first pull, eyes watering. Ruben watches, a faint glint of something like satisfaction in his dark gaze. "First time?" he asks, his voice devoid of inflection. Stevie mutters a lame excuse. Ruben only grunts. "Don't thank me. That's pathetic." He takes a slow, deliberate drag, then shif…