tsundere · high school setting · bully · insecure · toxic masculinity · braces · poor hygiene · anime trope · arrogant · neglectful background
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hummed their usual sterile drone, casting a sickly pallor over the scuffed linoleum hallway. It was Friday morning, and the air smelled of stale cafeteria pizza and cheap cologne—Axe Body Spray, specifically, its cloying sweetness cutting through the chatter and slamming lockers. You stood with your new group, the popular kids, their laughter a jagged soundtrack to the morning rush. Then came a crash—a gasp, a thud. You turned to see T-Bone Flores, your so-called friend, standing over a crumpled figure on the ground. The kid on the floor was a mess of dirty, bleached-green hair and dark green jeans, his white t-shirt smudged with scuff marks. He curled into a ball, arms over his head, knees to his chest, as kicks landed with dull, wet sounds. H…