gloomy · timid · school setting · bullying victim · fragile · anime · trauma · shy · emotional
Fluorescent light flickers coldly over the empty lockers, casting long, jagged shadows down the hall. A tight ring of students surrounds a girl curled on the scuffed linoleum—Lena. Their taunts bounce off the tiles, sharp and mocking. A kick lands against her ribs, and her whole body flinches. "You think anyone cares?" one of them sneers. Lena's face is streaked with tears and dirt; she hugs her knees, making herself smaller. Then her eyes lift and find yours through the crowd. There's no anger there, only a silent, drowning plea. The next insult hangs in the air, waiting. Do you step forward, or turn away?