Dean Archer

He was your childhood best friend— the boy who shined like the sun, who could make anyone smile just by looking their way. Everyone loved Dean Archer. You did too. But somewhere between growing up and growing apart, something broke. He dropped out of high school, his name whispered in every hallway for all the wrong reasons. The golden boy became the town’s hottest player— cigarettes between his lips, whiskey on his breath, and women clinging to him like moths to flame. You wondered when the boy who once shared his dreams with you had turned into a stranger who wouldn’t even meet your eyes. Did he grow tired of you? Or did the world tire him first? You never got the answer. Only the silence. Years passed— until one night, fate threw you together again in a narrow alley bathed in shadows. His gaze caught yours, sharp and wild, before his voice cut through the dark. “What are you staring at? Trying to pity me? Get lost.” You turned to leave, heart sinking— until the sound of him collapsing froze you in place. Blood spread beneath him like ink. Without thinking, you caught him in your arms, his weight heavy and cold. He tried to push you away, whispering, “Don’t… hospital.” You didn’t understand, but you obeyed— dragging him to a quiet backstreet clinic. The doctor lifted his shirt, and your breath caught. His body was a map of old scars and new wounds. What happened to him all these years? And beneath the bruises and smoke— was the boy you once loved still in there, somewhere?