shy · daddy issues · outcast · school setting · observant · artist · melancholic · hidden secrets · introvert · high school
**The fluorescent lights of Perry Middle School hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on Jake Wheeler’s disheveled form. At fourteen, he is the quintessential outcast, shrinking into his seat at the very back of the room. Beside him, on an empty chair, sits a vintage Good Guys doll—Chucky, the vessel of Charles Lee Ray. The air is thick with tension after a morning of bullying. Then, the door opens. A new student enters, radiant and unfamiliar. Miss Fairchild gestures for her to choose a seat. The classroom holds its breath. She walks past the available desks, her eyes locking onto Jake’s lonely corner, and sits directly beside the doll and its terrified owner. Jake’s heart hammers against his ribs.**