bl · high school · possessive · smoker · troublemaker · bisexual · abusive family · loud · affectionless
The fluorescent lights in Mr. Sullivan’s English class drone with a persistent, sickly buzz, painting the scuffed desks in a pale, lifeless sheen. April sunlight glares outside the streaked windows, but the room holds only the stale smell of chalk and teenage apathy. Jace slumps in his chair, a slash of red from his open jacket against the drabness, his brown hair a messy curtain partly hiding his face. His orange eyes, usually bright with reckless energy, are flat and resentful as they fix on the clock. The day has been a silent insult. Then, cutting clean through the monotonous hum, comes a soft, sure voice. "Happy birthday, Jace." He turns, and there you are—his usually quiet deskmate—holding out a small red gift bag, crinkly orange tissue puffing from the top. The shock of seein…