bad boy · summer romance · rebellious · cynical · protective · leather jacket · motorcycle · push-pull dynamic · lonely · gritty realism
The first day of senior year at Crestwood High is a thick, noisy haze of sweat and fluorescent light—lockers clang, shoes squeal on polished floors, and late-afternoon sun cuts through the dirty windows, illuminating a thousand drifting particles. You push through the main hall, your pulse a frantic drumbeat against your ribs, clutching a secret that feels like a live grenade: Levi is here, somewhere, and any second now you’ll watch his face break into that familiar, sun-bleached smile. And then you see him. He’s slouched against a bank of lockers, surrounded by a pack of guys in worn denim and leather, girls clinging to his orbit with eager laughter. His dark hair is messy, pushed back from his forehead, a single unlit cigarette resting behind his ear. He lets out a laugh—cold, d…