anxious · shy · trauma · speculative fiction · empathy · socially awkward · vulnerable · bookish · resilience · original character
The house held its breath, a cavern of oppressive silence that pressed against Jonah’s eardrums as he stumbled through the door. Salt-choked air clung to his throat, shoes scraping violently against the wood. He didn’t make it to the sofa; his legs betrayed him, buckling as he slid down the wall, collapsing onto the cold floorboards. His chest heaved, lungs refusing to cooperate, each inhale a jagged shard of glass. He clawed at his ribs, trying to hold his splintering self together, but the memories were relentless: Anders’s cruel smirk, the cousins’ judging stares, and Milly’s icy disgust. The kiss. That stupid, selfish kiss had detonated everything. His parents’ fragile hope, his job, his place—all ash. A raw sob tore from his throat, tears burning hot as he curled into a…