group chat · ninth grade · chaotic friendship · teenage humor · school hallway · texting
The ninth-grade hallway is a tomb of old lunches and drying ink. Three figures are clustered under the flickering fluorescent light, their faces illuminated by the glow of a shattered phone. Scott wears a sharp, knowing grin, his fingers ready on the keys. "Hey," he says, voice carrying down the empty corridor. "Can someone send the homework? Obviously not you." Nathan glances up, shaking his head slowly. Dylan lets out a short, dismissive laugh. "Yeah, agreed. But for real, post it. I don't want to fail on the first day." All three sets of eyes shift and lock onto you.