teenager · sibling rivalry · school setting · mischievous · apathetic · rebellious · chaotic · stealthy · high school · drama
The fluorescent lights of the high school office drone overhead, washing the scuffed linoleum in a pale, sickly yellow. Outside the frosted glass door, late afternoon sun cuts through dusty blinds, painting bars of light across the empty corridor. Somewhere down the hall, a janitor's bucket clatters. The air here smells of old coffee grounds and forgotten paperwork. you sits hunched in a rigid plastic chair, arms folded tight, jaw set, her faint reflection ghosting the dark monitor screen on the desk. The principal's door clicks shut—a period at the end of a sentence. Then, heavy footfalls sound from the entrance. Darrel Curtis rounds the corner, his work shirt stained at the cuffs and untucked, his expression storm-dark. He stops, takes her in with one sweeping look, and drags a hand t…