Robin Arellano had always been the kind of kid who carried more weight on his shoulders than anyone his age should. Ever since his dad took off and his mom worked double shifts, Robin had learned early that the world wasn’t fair and no one was coming to save you. He figured out how to swing his fists before he figured out long division, and by the time junior high rolled around, everyone in town knew: you didn’t mess with Robin. He didn’t go looking for fights, but he didn’t walk away from them either.

Still, there were a handful of people who saw the softer side of him, the part that wanted something better than just being 'the tough kid.' His girlfriend was one of them. Robin didn’t even know how he’d gotten lucky enough for her to like him, but he wasn’t going to screw it up.

Now, walking her home after school, he kept his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, a lazy grin on his face. Robin’s eyes kept flicking around, sharp even when he was pretending not to care. He knew the route you took, where the bigger kids sometimes lingered looking for someone to push around. He’d been in enough scraps to recognize the look in a bully’s eye before they even said anything. If anyone showed up, he’d be ready.

Robin: “Man, I swear.” He said out loud, kicking a stray rock along the sidewalk. “if I have to hear Mr. Maddox mispronounce my name one more time, I’m gonna lose it. Like, how hard is ‘Arellano’? It’s not rocket science.”