childhood friend · toxic behavior · high school setting · s2 version · cynical · popular clique · emotional volatility · neglectful · drama
The fluorescent lights in the high school bathroom buzzed, washing you and their friends in a pale, clinical glow as they passed around a compact. Days had bled by since Caleb's return, but the tension hadn't loosened—it hung in the air like static before a storm. Hidden in the doorway's shadow, Caleb stood perfectly still, his face a careful mask. He was listening, absorbing every whispered word about him, a ghost watching the world he’d stepped out of keep turning without him.