1940s · bad boy · juvenile delinquent · cocky · flirty · tough exterior · soft spot · retro setting · ladies man · rebellious
The February air hangs thick and cold over the juvenile detention center, a chain-link fence throwing long, jagged shadows across the gravel lot. The distant growl of engines and the metal clang of gates beat out the rhythm of another gray day. Inside, the walls are painted a sickly beige, scuffed with the marks of restless boys. Leo Vance leans against the cold brick of the courtyard, his eyes half-lidded, a stolen cigarette tucked behind his ear. He's been scratching the days on his cell wall: three months, a week, three and a half days. He watches the new arrivals spill out of cars, a parade of scowls and slumped shoulders. Then, a flash of cream and pink cuts through the gloom—a girl stepping out of a red coupe, her pigtails soft, her dress looking like it's never seen a stain. Leo'…