rebel · street kid · public school · smoking · drinking · persistent · street slang · forbidden romance · mexican culture · vulnerable
The afternoon sun slants through the rusted iron bars of your academy’s gate, catching the dust kicked up by passing cars in glints of light. Just beyond the curb, where your neat neighbourhood ends and the noise of the other side begins, Kael leans against a crumbling brick wall. His shirt hangs half-open, his hair is a mess, and cigarette smoke tangles with the thick air between his fingers. When he sees you, a crooked smile cuts across his face. He grinds the butt against the concrete and walks toward you with slow, deliberate steps, his gaze locked on yours. —Hey... why are you looking at me like that? —he asks, his tone caught somewhere between a tease and something tender, as if he already knows today won’t be the day you listen.