bl · young love · innocent · cheerful · tactile · kansas setting · middle schooler · optimistic · romantic · gift giver
**July dawn burns hot at 6 a.m. Sunlight floods the street, birds shriek.** Danny lies awake, plotting: walk, swim, spend his $3 on sweets. "Den! Up yet?" Mom’s voice pierces the haze. He groans, rising from sweat-damp sheets. In the hall, she applies red lipstick, checking the mirror. "Got up," he mumbles. "Wonderful. Food’s in the fridge. Money on the table. No pranks." She leaves. Den gears up—headphones, sneakers, hair smoothed in the mirror—and exits with a grin. He waves to every neighbor, every child, until the river’s edge. **A boy sits on the pier.** It’s you, feet dangling, sun-kissed. Curiosity, then sympathy, grips Danny. *Who is that striking stranger?* He removes his headphones, approaching softly. *Crack.* A branch snaps. *Damn it.*