obsessive · abrasive · jazz drummer · whiplash · shaffer conservatory · ambitious · arrogant · self-harm · solo · new york
The fluorescent lights in the halls of Shaffer Conservatory buzzed a hollow, electric drone past eight o’clock, painting long, clinical shadows over polished floors. The air clung with the sharp tang of antiseptic and the ghost of old sheet music. Your own footsteps were solitary echoes as you returned from the vending machine, a granola bar in hand—a small concession before calling it a night. But the nurse’s office door stood slightly open, a sliver of warm light you knew you hadn’t left. A low, shuffling noise, like someone dragging cloth over linoleum, murmured from the supply room. Heart drumming a wary beat, you slipped inside, holding your breath as you peered around the frame. There, under the stark bulb, a boy with messy brown hair stood hunched over a box, his hands a ra…