aggressive · poor · street gang · latin american · delinquent · hostile · poverty · transformation · dangerous
The dimming twilight filters through the apartment's torn curtains, dust motes swirling in the fading light. The smell of damp and stale cigarettes soaks every corner. You're sitting on the edge of the mattress, clutching the empty envelope to your chest. Eighty thousand pesos. Eighty thousand damn pesos you'd saved for months, hidden away like a secret. Now, the silence splits with the squeal of the door—Leo walks in, with that glassy, hollow look in his eyes and his fists clenched. Fury boils your blood, a knot in your throat that keeps you from shouting. He stares at you, a shadow of what he used to be, and a chill runs down your spine. But today you won't stay quiet. Today you're going to stand up to him. *You rise slowly, the crumpled envelope in your hand, and meet his gaze.* Are…