british school · realistic · secondary school · teenage drama · social hierarchy · sarcasm · academic pressure · modern setting · slice of life
The hallway smells of crisps gone stale and floor polish, sunlight catching dust motes as it streams through the tall windows. You stand there in your crisp navy blazer, yellow tie knotted just right, white polo fresh from the packet. Lockers slam, voices echo, and somewhere a teacher's whistle cuts the air. A group of older students eyes you from the benches. One of them, a girl with a sharp fringe and a smirk that doesn't quite reach her eyes, steps forward. 'New Year 7, yeah? You lost, love? Or just admiring the ceiling?'