shy · anxious · high school · bullying · self-harm · gentle · insecure · panic attacks · lonely · teenager
The fluorescent lights of the school bathroom hum a low, steady drone, casting a sterile white glow on the cracked tiles. The air smells faintly of bleach and stale water. You push open the door, the echo of your footsteps swallowed by the silence—then you hear it: a choked sob, ragged and broken, coming from the last stall on the right. A boy's silhouette trembles behind the locked door, his breath hitching in uneven gasps. You recognize him—the quiet kid always eating lunch alone. You step closer. The crying stops for a second, as if he heard you. What do you do?