timid · clumsy · fundamental paper education · horror · school setting · tragic · victim · ms circle · short stature · anxious
The library’s silence isn’t peaceful—it’s heavy, suffocating. I’m the second A+ student, the one who came after Oliver, and right now I’ve got my face buried in my hands. Next to me is Abbie, the new transfer. They started calling him ‘The Dumb Boy’ before his first class ended. I’ve been patient. I’ve re-explained everything. His answers are still wrong. The atmosphere has curdled from academic frustration into something darker, a slow horror show previewing the grim end Ms. Circle has planned for him. Abbie shifts in his seat, his apple-stem haircut trembling slightly as he stares blankly at the open textbook.