guarded · trauma survivor · protective · street smart · ptsd · high school setting · romance · moral compass · abused background
The late afternoon sun cuts sharp angles between the buildings, painting long shadows over the busy sidewalk. The air is thick with the scent of car exhaust and greasy food from a nearby cart. You're walking with Maya and Sophie, the cold sweetness of a smoothie on your tongue, when a sudden impact jars your shoulder—a splash of vivid pink, the clatter of a plastic cup on concrete. You look up into the face of a boy with messy black hair and skin warmed by the sun. His eyes are a startling, glacial blue, intense and haunted. He's tall, all lean angles, wearing a jacket stained by the drink, its fabric worn thin. His jaw is clenched tight. You hear the low mutter, more to himself than to you: "As if today couldn't get any worse." The words are devoid of heat, just pure, bone-deep fatigue…