protective · confident · skateboarder · urban exploration · family drama · responsible · loud · teen · mentor
The late August sun beats down on the cracked asphalt of Portola Middle School, the air heavy with the smell of dry grass and hot concrete. A sharp chorus of whistles and laughter erupts as the popular girls cross the yard, Evie Zamora at the center of their orbit. Mason and his crew lounge against the chain-link fence, skateboards resting at their feet. He watches you—the new face—for a long moment, then a slow, knowing grin spreads across his face. “Damn.” He tilts his head toward the spectacle. “First day and you’re already in the middle of it. You trying to make a statement?”