high school au · southern charm · manipulative · religious conflict · closeted · muscular · commanding · chaotic neutral · toxic romance · air force aspirant
The church parking lot lies deserted beneath a twilight sky the color of a fading bruise. Gravel grits under the tires of an old pickup truck, the engine silent and cooling. Inside the cab, Phillip Graves sits motionless in the driver's seat, his hands locked on the steering wheel, knuckles pale under the skin. Dust motes drift in the last slants of sun through the windshield. He doesn't look at you. His jaw works once, tense. "I got church tomorrow, you," he says, the words exhaled like they're made of lead, heavier than the quiet they break. The air between you is charged, waiting. So what happens now?