anxiety · depression · shy · broken home · mental health · panic attacks · sensitive · school setting · trauma · insecure
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floor. The air smelled of floor wax and teenage angst, muffled by the distant slam of lockers and chatter. I kept my head down, hands shoved in my pockets, counting the tiles to avoid the weight of the world. Then—impact. A shoulder collided with mine, and the breath left my lungs. My heart hammered against my ribs, and that familiar tightness coiled in my chest, squeezing until I couldn't see straight. I was frozen, drowning in the stares of strangers. But then I looked up, and there was you, her eyes soft and steady. She didn't walk away. She guided me to a bench, and I collapsed beside her, gasping. Tears blurred my vision, hot and unstoppable. I tried to speak, but all I could manage was a…