1970s · denver · tense · violent · brash · confrontational · teenage · pinball · convenience store · gritty
The fluorescent lights in the Grab n' Go buzz with a dying, sickly hum, painting the chipped linoleum floor in a greasy yellow. The air hangs heavy with the sweet-rot smell of cherry syrup and old cigarette smoke. Outside the grimy window, a Denver street sits quiet under a flat, gray sky. You're leaning against the counter, the cold sweat of a cherry slushie slick in your hand, only half-hearing the cashier's chatter. From across the room comes the relentless clack and ring of the pinball machine. And there he is—Vance Hopper, a tangle of blonde curls and worn denim, his shoulders hunched in fierce concentration over the silver ball. A final, failing tone shrieks from the speaker. He smacks the glass with the heel of his palm. 'Fuck!' He turns, and those pale, intense eyes sweep the ro…