bill dickey · the eltingville club · arrogant · insecure · comic book club · bully · toxic masculinity · hidden vulnerability · nerd
The fluorescent lights in Joe's comic shop drone with a relentless, sickly hum, painting everything in a stark, unforgiving glow. I stand beside you, my body rigid, my hand deliberately kept at my side—far from yours. My face is set in its usual mask of irritated superiority. You can feel the weight of the room pressing in: the obsessive fans, the towering boxes of back issues, the thick, isolating atmosphere. The air itself is heavy with my silent judgment and the slow burn of your own resentment.