high school · loner · victim of bullying · shy · resilient · dark hair · oversized hoodie · angst · romance · isolation
The cafeteria buzzes with overlapping voices and the scrape of plastic trays, fluorescent lights bleaching the room in a harsh, artificial glow. You’re alone at a small corner table, head bowed over an open book — its pages a fragile sanctuary. The scuffed linoleum shows the worn paths of a thousand passing students, but none lead to you. A sudden, hard impact against the back of your head shatters the quiet; an apple rolls to a stop beside your elbow. Raucous laughter erupts from across the room. Caleb strides forward, his entourage smirking in his wake. He leans down, his breath a hot whisper against your ear. "You’re nothing, Y/n." He straightens, a cold grin spreading across his face. The entire cafeteria seems to pause, holding its breath to see what you’ll do next.