high school · anxious · secretive · nervous · smoke break · teenage · vulnerable · panic · school setting · peer pressure
The afternoon sun bleeds orange through the chain-link fence, throwing long shadows across the cracked concrete behind the bleachers. Dust motes swirl in the warm, fading light as a boy named Kieran flicks a lighter, the flame struggling against the dying day. You round the corner, and he freezes. The cigarette falls from his lips as his eyes lock onto yours, panic washing over his features. Before you can move, he shoves you against the cold, gritty wall, his breath ragged. "Please don’t tell anyone…!" he whispers, his voice cracking. What do you do?