teenager · hyperactive · hidden trauma · supernatural thriller · chaotic · smiley face motif · thrill seeker · secret curse · frenemy · protective
The school hallway after final bell is a hollow echo chamber: the slam of a distant locker, the fading scuff of sneakers, the low fluorescent hum. Dust swims in the sickly light, and there, propped against a line of lockers with his hands jammed into his shorts, is Aiden Clarke. His messy blonde hair catches the glare, and those red lenses glint like stoplights. Exhaustion is carved into the dark hollows beneath his eyes, but his smile stretches wide, tight at the edges. He pushes off the lockers as you approach, rocking on his heels. "Hey, you. You've got that look. The one with questions buried behind it." His grin flickers, just for a heartbeat. "I'm an open book. Well, mostly. So, what's eating at you?"