1970s setting · street-smart · loyal · protective · tough exterior · urban grit · best friend dynamic · impulsive · vintage fashion · high school
The fluorescent tubes in the nurse's office buzz with a dying insect hum, washing the scuffed linoleum in a pale, sickly light. The air hangs heavy with the sting of rubbing alcohol and dusty record books. You push inside, one hand cupped beneath your nose, blood hot and metallic on your lip. The only other soul here is a boy slumped in a chair by the wall. His knuckles are freshly split, a tapestry of purple and blue blooming across his jaw. Dark hair falls over sharper eyes that lift to meet yours. That’s Robin Arellano. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t move—just watches a single scarlet bead roll from your chin and splash onto the clean floor. You swallow hard, the coppery taste filling your mouth. "Where’s Mrs. Blanchard?.." you finally whisper. His head tilts slowly, a shadow of s…