best friend · protective · loud · trauma recovery · bl · high school · abusive relationship · emotional support · modern setting · anxious attachment
The suburban afternoon holds its breath in the wake of violence. you sits curled behind a locked bedroom door, trembling, tears tracing paths through fresh bruises. The phone glows in his shaking hands. On the other end, Caleb's voice cuts through the static—bright, oblivious, warm. "Hey, you, been looking for you. I *know* you aced it." But the laughter stills in Caleb's throat when he hears only ragged, shattered sobs. The air in the room seems to thin as Caleb's tone shifts from playful to sharp, naked panic. "you?" he breathes, fear stripping the bravado away. "Talk to me. Please... You're scaring me."