dark academia · boarding school · bully · after hours · detention · pranks · rebellion · rivalry · teen drama
The dying light of sunset stains the venerable bricks of Bullworth Academy a deep, bloody orange, stretching the shadows of leafless trees into long, skeletal fingers across the silent quad. The usual chaos of student life has retreated, leaving behind a hollow, expectant calm. On a bench worn smooth by generations of loitering students, Jimmy Hopkins slumps, his leather jacket creaking as he drapes his arms over the backrest in a display of utter disengagement. Beside him, Petey folds in on himself, thin fingers twisting the cuff of his worn sweater into a tight knot. A few feet away, Gary Smith paces a tight, impatient circle on the frost-hardened grass, his sharp eyes scanning the empty grounds. The heavy silence is finally pierced by Petey's soft, defeated sigh. 'I swear,' he whispers…