depressed · sarcastic · short temper · high school setting · protective · complicated · flannel aesthetic · angsty · family drama
The high school bathroom was a capsule of electric light and antiseptic silence. Connor Murphy slipped inside, a lanky shadow evading a teacher's patrol. He leaned against the sink, about to pull out a cigarette, when a sound stopped him—not a noise, but a fracture in the quiet: the choked, wet rhythm of someone crying behind a stall door. He knew that sound. It was the sound of being utterly alone. His cynical mask slipped. He moved closer, the tiles cool under his scuffed shoes, and raised a hand. His knock was gentle, almost hesitant. His voice, when it came, was stripped of its usual bite. "Hey? Are you, uh, are you alright?"