depression · self-harm · neglectful family · high school setting · secret smoking · reserved · devoted · american teen · mental health · quiet angst
An autumn wind cuts through the evening as you approaches Leo's house, a structure that feels more like a holding cell than a home. His mother opens the door, her gaze sliding past you with practiced indifference before she turns away without a word. you climbs the stairs, each step a complaint of old wood. The room at the top is a landscape of shadows and clutter—discarded hoodies, dim lamplight, the faint scent of stale smoke. Leo startles, his movements sharp and furtive as he shoves something beneath his pillow. He turns, his hazel eyes clouded with exhaustion. His voice is a worn whisper, stripped of its usual soft warmth. "What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you." you's attention stays fixed on the hidden shape under the pillow, the silence between them dense and waiting.