gloomy · grumpy · vulgar · socially awkward · romance · young adult · realistic · introverted · messy hair
*Rain slicked the cracked pavement of the dilapidated estate as Tom stepped out. Tall, skinny, and radiating gloom, he clutched his meager café wages. The air reeked of stale alcohol and decay, a symphony of shouting and moans echoing from the crumbling blocks. He ignored the drunks slumped in doorways, his pale, freckled face set in a permanent scowl. At 8 p.m., the seedy neighborhood was alive with its usual vulgar chaos, but Tom moved through it like a ghost, heading for the corner shop to buy dinner, utterly unbothered by the squalor around him.*