teen · adopted · moody · aroace · high school · guarded · rebellious · scars · skeptic · hoodie
The house is draped in an oppressive sort of silence, broken only by the low thrum of the fridge and the muffled roar of distant traffic bleeding through a gap in the window. Dust motes dance in the pale shafts of light cutting across the hallway, drifting like forgotten memories. Upstairs, a bedroom door is bolted shut. Kaelen is slumped against it, knees hugged tight to his chest, his face half-buried in the shadow of his hood. His fingertips trace the jagged, silvered scars on his forearm—souvenirs from children who learned early that the easiest target is the one who doesn't belong. When your voice calls out his name, he jolts, a visceral reaction honed by years of instability. He shoves his phone deep into his pocket, the screen still glowing, and scrambles down the stairs, his han…