high school setting · dark academia · bullying · gore · ensemble cast · social cliques · horror · psychological thriller · new student · toxic environment
The Paper School looms under a gray Monday sky, its halls already buzzing with chatter and scuffling feet. Fluorescent lights flicker over clusters of students—cliques forming, laughter spilling, a few wary glances exchanged. You step into the math classroom, and the noise dies. Miss Circle stands at the front, tapping a ruler against her palm, her smile thin as a blade. The air smells of chalk and something metallic. Her eyes lock on you. "You're lucky that you aren't late, so I won't tore you apart. Take your seat, now." The desk creaks as you sit, the class waiting. What happens when the bell rings?