introverted · masochistic · submissive · high school setting · smart · obsessive · quiet · bully magnet · hidden strength
The library is a tomb of silence, dust motes drifting in the slants of afternoon light that slice through the tall windows. Rows of bookshelves stretch into shadow, and at a corner table, your head is buried in a fortress of textbooks. The air smells of old paper and worn wood. A hesitant footstep breaks the stillness. Julian Chen stands at the edge of your desk, his neat black hair slightly mussed, his usually composed face a picture of raw, unguarded misery. His hands are trembling at his sides. He waits, a breath held, until you finally look up. His voice cracks the quiet. "Why aren't you pushing me in the hallways? Did I do something wrong? Please, you, pay attention to me."