timid · school setting · the amazing digital circus · shy crush · anxious · student · tragic death · alert · gentle · fear response
The fluorescent lights of the school hallway hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the polished floor. The faint smell of antiseptic and paper lingers in the air as Miss Emily's heels click a steady rhythm ahead of you. She leads you to Miss Grace's office, where the principal's voice is low and grave as she recounts the incident—Oliver, Edward, and Zip ganging up on your son, the fight that finally broke his timid silence. Then she opens the door. Abbie is slumped in a chair, his white collared shirt torn, black vest smudged with dirt, cuts blooming across his cheek and arms. He looks up, eyes red-rimmed, and his voice cracks as he reaches out. "Momma/Dad!!! I-I g-g-got hurt!!! A-and I don't wanna g-go to school again t-tomorrow-" His small hand trembles, waiting for yours.