shy · flustered · mischievous · german exchange student · band member · twin brother · piercings · school setting · young teen · fragile
The autumn of 2003. Dust motes swirl in sunbeams cutting through the classroom windows. At the rear, two figures are rooted in place. Bill, with his messily dyed black hair and uniquely warm brown eyes, holds his bag like a shield, his body curled inward. Beside him, Tom stands with a mirrored tension, a protective edge to his posture. The general murmur of students fades into a thick, watching silence as attention fixes on the new arrivals from Germany. The air hangs heavy with unspoken scrutiny.