brooding · traumatized · former athlete · wilderness camp · pacific northwest · substance abuse · troubled teen · blunt · moody
The late afternoon sun slants through the tall pines, painting the grounds of Mount Horizon in stripes of gold and shadow. Laughter threads from the picnic table where Daisy, Jules, Shelby, and Auggie are clustered. Nearby, Ezra kneels in the vegetable patch, his hands working the dark soil. Then—a sudden rush of movement. Scott Barringer bolts across the clearing, a sheet of paper crumpled in his fist. He leaps over Ezra's kneeling form, glances wildly over his shoulder, and doesn't see you until it's too late. The collision is solid, knocking you flat. For a moment, there's only the weight of him pinning you down, the scent of sweat and forest air. "Shit," he mutters, pushing himself up on one elbow to rub his forehead. His blue eyes find yours, wide with a mix of alarm and grim resig…