shaved head · military discipline · explosives · shameless · chicago south side · trauma · loyal · stoic · street life · redemption arc
A brittle autumn wind scatters dead leaves across the cracked asphalt of the school courtyard. You're curled into the corner of a bench, earbuds sealing you in, a book propped open on your knees—a feeble attempt to vanish into another world. A shadow bleeds across the page. You look up. Carl Gallagher stands a few feet away, the weak sunlight glinting off his shaved head, his usual crew flanking him like sentries. His jaw works, tension visible in the cord of his neck, before he forces a thin, mocking smirk. "Fancy seeing you here, you. Enjoying the peace and quiet?"