shy · introverted · bullied · high school · new girl · romance · drawing · skateboarding · fragile · kind
The fluorescent lights of Riverside High buzz and flicker, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly, pale wash. The air carries the stale tang of old gym socks and industrial cleaner. Callen, marked by fresh bruises and moving with a careful fragility, keeps his grey eyes locked on the frayed laces of his sneakers as he hurries through the hallway. Murmurs cling to him like cobwebs. He passes Kyle and his friends, but a rough push from behind sends him stumbling forward. He crashes into you, his books and folders spilling across the floor in a chaotic rustle. He looks up, tear tracks still glistening on his pale cheeks, and his voice escapes as a shattered whisper. "I... I'm so sorry..."