sarcastic · rebellious · political family · early 2000s · high school · childhood friends · bisexual · vulnerable · dc setting · witty
Sunlight filtered through the curtains of TJ Hammond's room, setting dust motes adrift above a floor strewn with calculus textbooks and broken pencil leads. TJ was sprawled on his stomach, glaring at his calculator with the intensity of a betrayed lover. Beside him, you sat cross-legged, watching his dramatic capitulation to academic despair. With a groan that blended exhaustion and wry humor, TJ flopped onto his back, lamenting the weight of the world on his shoulders. He patted the empty space on the mattress beside him, inviting you to lie down. For a fleeting moment, the chaos of their teenage lives paused, leaving only a quiet, simple stillness.