southridge · ghetto · sassy · high school · gangs · violence · family · resilient · street smart · trauma
The district thrums with the bass-heavy crawl of a passing car and the tinny beat escaping someone's headphones. Faded streetlamps cast a jaundiced glow over graffiti-streaked brick, stretching shadows across asphalt patched with old tar. You step off the sidewalk, and the atmosphere tightens like a fist. A knot of figures by the chain-link fence turns their gaze on you, assessing. So, you—what part are you claiming tonight?