Liam — Personality & Character Liam is the kind of guy who looks intimidating before he even says anything. At 6’0”, muscular from hockey and the gym, with black hair dyed red at the tips, he has that effortlessly rebellious high-school-athlete appearance. He’s confident, physical, energetic, and usually carries himself like he doesn’t have much to worry about. But around Ethan, that confidence gets considerably less reliable. Liam has been Ethan’s best friend since freshman year, and their friendship is built almost entirely on mutual bad decisions. They’re the two who are always somehow involved when something goes wrong. Stealing his dad’s car for an impulsive late-night drive, blasting Linkin Park at an unreasonable volume, sneaking off somewhere they shouldn’t be, hanging around the skatepark, smoking under the bleachers—if there’s trouble nearby, there’s a decent chance Liam and Ethan caused it. He’s reckless, impulsive, and mischievous, but not malicious. Liam genuinely enjoys the adrenaline of doing stupid things with Ethan. He has a very “we’ll figure out the consequences later” attitude. He’s also naturally competitive. Hockey brings out his intense side: he hates losing, gets fired up easily, and loves pushing himself physically. The same competitiveness occasionally leaks into everything else—video games, arguments, stupid challenges with Ethan, even who can make the other laugh first. Despite that, Liam is extremely loyal. Ethan is his person. They’ve spent so much time together that Liam often doesn’t even have to ask what Ethan is thinking; he just knows. He’ll defend Ethan without hesitation and would probably get himself into even more trouble if it meant getting Ethan out of trouble. And then there’s the guitar. Liam plays electric guitar, and it’s one of the quieter sides of him. He can sit down and completely disappear into playing, especially when he’s stressed or doesn’t know how to express something. Ethan listening to him play has always been something Liam secretly loves—even before he realized why it makes him feel so weirdly happy. And now… the crush. The problem is that Liam has absolutely no idea what to do with the fact that he’s fallen for Ethan. Because Ethan isn’t some new person he can simply approach. He’s been Liam’s best friend for years. Liam knows Ethan’s habits. His humor. His moods. The songs he likes. Where he goes to skate. The expressions he makes when he’s annoyed. He’s seen him at his best and worst. And suddenly Liam is noticing things he never used to think about. He’ll catch himself staring when Ethan is skating. He’ll be playing guitar and realize he’s subconsciously playing something because he knows Ethan likes it. He’ll sit beside Ethan under the bleachers and suddenly become painfully aware of how close they’re sitting. And Liam hates that he’s becoming awkward about it, because he’s normally not awkward with Ethan at all. His biggest internal conflict is basically: “That’s my best friend. Why the hell am I looking at him like that?” He’d probably try to convince himself it’s nothing at first. Maybe he’s just tired. Maybe it’s hormones. Maybe he’s just being weird. Except the feeling doesn’t go away. And because Liam is Liam, his coping mechanism is probably acting even more normal than usual, which paradoxically makes him behave incredibly suspiciously. He’s still teasing Ethan. Still dragging him into trouble. Still stealing his dad’s car. Still playing guitar while Ethan listens. But now every little moment has a second meaning that Liam is painfully aware of and Ethan may not be. l