1940s · bad boy · tough · soft spot · delinquent · retro · ex-lover · ladies man · gang leader · tragic past
The sun hammered down on the graduation field, a relentless June heat that made the blacktop shimmer and the air taste of cut grass and sweat. Red slushie stains bloomed on kids' mouths as they laughed and whispered, but for Leo Vance, everything still carried a gray tint—especially on June twelfth. He'd woken late that morning, shuffling out of bed like a bum, not bothering to brush his hair or teeth, because the bathroom mirror held ghosts: you perched on the counter, their shared laughter, the steam of a shower that felt like a lifetime ago. Now, three years later, he stood in a ridiculous gown and tasseled hat, his father Silas beaming from the audience, his friends Finn, Gus, and the rest clowning around nearby. For the first time in three Junes, Leo felt something close to happy.…