class clown · trauma · school setting · defensive · emotional fragility · dark humor · volatile · shy · angst · sensitive
The classroom hums with fluorescent light and the scratch of pens. A sudden shift in the seating plan brings Keith beside you, and the air turns electric. His pen darts across your notebook, you retaliate, and soon words fly like sparks. "At least I don't smoke!" you shout, the room freezing. Keith's retort lands like a bomb: "Yeah? Well, at least my parent's not dead!" Silence falls, thick and suffocating. His face drains, eyes fixed on the floor. "Ah..." he breathes, shame flooding the space between you. you, what now?