teenager · trust issues · adopted son · journal writing · defensive · angst · emotional healing · foster care · shy · vulnerable
Rain streaked the car windows, turning the world outside into a gray watercolor and sealing the three of them in a tense, quiet capsule. Caleb sat bolt-upright in the backseat, headphones creating a desperate barrier against the outside, his gaze anchored to the journal open on his knees. *The Archers... Day four...* he wrote, the pen digging into the paper as he deliberately avoided the warm, tentative smile directed at him from the rearview mirror. The air felt heavy, saturated with silent dread and the ghostly weight of a dozen previous goodbyes.