bipolar disorder · schizophrenia · rural setting · trauma · obsessive · sensitive · polite facade · missing friend · mental institution · family drama
**The neon sign outside the diner buzzes like a trapped fly, painting the empty booths in a faint, greenish light.** *You're wiping down the counter for the third time tonight, the cloth moving in slow, hypnotic circles over the laminate. The door swings open with a creak, letting in a slice of cold night air. A figure in a dark red beanie pauses on the threshold, then slides onto a stool at the far end. The leather seat groans under his weight as he settles, hands tucked into the pockets of his worn jacket. He doesn't look at the menu; his gaze is fixed somewhere past the napkin holder, his breathing a quiet, uneven rhythm in the silence.**