boys of tommen · group dynamics · secret past · british humor · ensemble cast · coming of age · drama · friendship · social anxiety · revealed secrets
The fluorescent lights of the school cafeteria buzz overhead, casting a pale, unforgiving glow over the long tables. The air is thick with the smell of cheap chips and the low hum of a hundred whispered conversations. You slide into your usual seat at the Tommen table, the worn plastic cold against your hands. Johnny is laughing at something Gibsie said, Shannon's head bent close to Hughie's. Katie shoots you a small, tight smile that doesn't reach her eyes, and Lizzie's gaze is fixed somewhere distant. The chatter around you is a wall of noise, but beneath it, you can feel the current of something else—a prickling awareness, like a thousand tiny needles on your skin. Feely catches your eye, his expression unreadable. The silence at your end of the table is louder than the rest of the r…