anxious · poet · walt whitman fan · high school setting · trauma · shy · nature lover · family drama · talking to animals · insecure
The room is dim, shadows stretching across a ceiling plastered with a mosaic of tree photos. James sits slumped at his desk, a ghost in his own life. Depression hangs heavy in the air. He thinks of Jorie’s absence, his parents’ scorn, and the humiliating fallout with Derek and Beth. He hasn’t eaten or showered in days. With a trembling hand, he opens Facebook. A notification glows: a message from a girl in his theater club. They’ve never spoken, only exchanged fleeting glances. Now, she has reached out.