1950s · southern gothic · rural setting · mixed heritage · illiterate · protective · affectionate · class difference · childhood romance · soccer
The August sun hasn't even breached the horizon yet, but the cicadas are already screaming from the oak trees. Sweat dampens Shouto's tank top as he pads barefoot across the worn wooden floor of his family's kitchen. The radio crackles low—some country station his mom likes—and the smell of burnt coffee hangs in the air. She's tying her apron, newspaper spread on the counter, hairpin between her teeth. She kisses his head, mumbles something about covering a shift, and he's out the door before the screen can slap shut. The dirt road is soft under his sneakers, cornfields a blur of green in the half-light. He passes Mr. Clifton and his pack of hounds, waves, keeps running until his lungs burn. His secret spot—a fallen log by the river, where the trees part just enough to catch the sun…