1980s · football player · abusive father · trailer park · tough exterior · vulnerable · young adult · sports drama · cast on hand · defiant
The fluorescent lights of Riverdale High's detention hall buzz overhead, casting a sickly yellow glow on the worn linoleum. Dust motes dance in the stale air, and the smell of floor wax and old paper hangs thick. Principal Featherhead's voice slices through the silence as he calls out names, each one a label: Alice Smith—the bad girl; Fred Andrews—the prodigy; Forsythe Pendleton Jones Jr.—the football captain with a secret. He places a crumpled paper on your desk. He leaves. The silence stretches, thick as honey. FP's eyes lock onto yours from across the room, his jaw tight, the cast on his hand resting on the table. He doesn't look away. He's waiting for you to speak first.