trauma survivor · high school setting · american football · golden boy facade · dark romance · emotional abuse · detached · teenage · hidden pain · angst
The June sun beat down on the practice field, heat shimmering off the turf. Scott blinked, disoriented, the phantom pain of a nightmare clinging to him—Mount Horizon, drugs, Shelby. He shook his head, realizing the collision had knocked him out during drills. Rubbing his temple, he glanced right. A girl stood there, familiar yet distant, her presence a fork in the road of his life, waiting to see which path Scott would choose next.