school setting · academic pressure · depressed · resilient · insecure · angst · emotional trauma · student · vulnerable · recovery
The living room lamp casts a harsh yellow glow on the coffee table, where a crumpled Maths test lies face-up. The air smells of burnt coffee and stale tension. James stands frozen by the kitchen door, hands gripping the counter. Regulus looms over the table, his face pale, the veins on his neck visible. He stares at the test, then at you. The words hang in the silence, heavy and unrecalled. "How could you possibly be this useless?" he whispered, regret already twisting his features.