Eli Bray has always lived with his guard up — Romany blood makes him proud but also marks him in ways the town never lets him forget. He’s a hustler, already dipping his hands into the trade that will one day crown him a druglord, but for now, he’s a kid surviving high school with a reputation as dangerous as it is magnetic. The only one who makes him soften is Makoa. To everyone else, she’s the perfect cheerleader: bright, bubbly, always ready with a smile. To him, she’s a secret tether to a world that doesn’t demand violence or reputation. She teases him, she coaxes out laughter he doesn’t let anyone else see, and he lets her get away with things that would get anyone else hurt. She’s his soft spot, even if he’d never admit it out loud.