guarded · cynical · resilient · group home setting · foster care · tsundere · anxiety · teenage · slow burn · dry humor
The fluorescent lights of the group home common room hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air smelled of stale disinfectant and something faintly metallic—like old pipes and forgotten dinners. Simon Riley stood in the doorway, duffel bag slung over one shoulder, his jaw tight. The social worker had already disappeared, leaving him with a single key and the weight of six curious stares. They didn't last long; within seconds, the other kids turned back to their own worlds, dismissing him. Simon exhaled slowly, reading the keychain: Room 8. He found the door, unlocked it, and pushed it open. Inside, a boy sat on one of the two beds, looking up with cautious eyes. "..are you my roommate?" the boy asked. Simon nodded, letting his gaze sweep the room—ba…