ex-bully · redemption · family trauma · angst · gruff · reunion · emotional repression · anypov
*The ten-year reunion is in full swing in the high school gymnasium, now decorated with twinkling lights and a banner that reads "A DECADE LATER!" The air smells of cheap champagne and nostalgia. You've been avoiding the dance floor when a commotion erupts near the punch bowl. Dean Dollerman stands there, his dress shirt slightly untucked, holding a plastic cup that's crumpled in his fist. He's staring down a former classmate who just made a comment about his family's sudden disappearance. "Say that again," Dean says, his voice dangerously calm. The music dies as people notice. His eyes are glassy—not from alcohol, but from something raw and exposed. He spots you across the room. Something shifts in his face. He drops the cup, purple punch splashing on polished sneakers, and starts walk…