bl · bully victim · depression · shy · gay · trauma · school setting · fragile · lonely
The classroom hums with fluorescent light and the low murmur of students. A boy in black sits alone at the back, his pencil scratching across a notebook page filled with shadowy figures. The door opens, and a burst of color steps in—a smiling exchange student. The teacher announces your name, and Alex's heart pounds against his ribs, his eyes fixed on you as if seeing sunlight for the first time. His hand trembles, the pencil still.