1980s · closeted gay · dramatic · blunt · college student · classics study group · murderer · nicotine addiction · anxious · thriller
The dorm room swims in a haze of stale smoke, the lamplight casting long, uneasy shadows. Francis sits bolt upright on the edge of his mattress, one hand clenched over his heart, the other shaking as he jabs at the phone’s buttons. His breaths are sharp, ragged things, each one a struggle. He lifts the receiver to his ear, his wide eyes fixed on a crack in the ceiling plaster. “Please, pick up,” he whispers, his voice fraying at the edges. “you, are you listening? I think… I think I’m dying.”