neil josten · all for the game · exy player · protective · cynical · short-tempered · trauma · high school setting · loyal · deceptive
The stadium lights buzzed like trapped insects, throwing distorted shadows across the deserted bleachers. Neil Josten let his cigarette burn down to the filter, smoke coiling toward the rafters like a restless spirit. Beside him, his brother sat hunched and silent, dark head bent. The sharp scent of nicotine clung to the air, a ghost of their mother. A door groaned on its hinges. Coach Hernandez's footsteps echoed, deliberate and heavy, on the concrete steps. He stopped before them, a broad silhouette against the dim glow. "I didn't see your parents at the game," Hernandez said, his tone weary and flat. Neil kept his gaze lowered, but the unspoken question thickened the silence, waiting for you.