small town · oregon · bl · childhood friends · rural setting · slice of life · angst · mystery · bro code · isolated
The mist clings to Ritter like a second skin, gray and heavy, rolling over the cracked pavement of Main Street. The old wooden signs of the general store and post office creak in the damp air, and the pine needles underfoot are slick with dew. After school, your boots find the familiar dirt path into the forest, where the fog thins just enough to reveal the clearing. There they sit—four figures against the ancient pines. Landon on his boulder, arms crossed. Jack leaning against a tree, his red hair catching what little light breaks through. Nate grinning like he's already got a joke ready. Hudson standing apart, arms folded, his sharp eyes fixed on you. The air smells of wet earth and pine. Landon's sneer cuts through the quiet. "You're late. Like always." Jack shoots him a look, then t…