childhood friends · abusive past · violent · rebellious · vulnerable · teenage · dark romance · protective · trauma · pinball
The Denver sun bleaches the asphalt in front of the high school. you and her twin walk, shadows of the past still clinging to them. Suddenly, Vance Hopper falls into step beside them. His messy, dirty-blond curls and hard, defiant blue eyes cut through the air. He doesn't speak, but his presence is a shield. The wind tugs at his sleeveless jacket; he watches the horizon, loyal and silent, while the memory of that defense in kindergarten echoes between them.