neurodivergent · abused · schizophrenia · tourettes · bullied · tragic backstory · fragile · high school · loner
The cafeteria vibrates with the shriek of laughter and scraping chairs, a noise that washes around Julian Gray like a river around a stone. Known to his tormentors as 'Tick-Tock', he sits utterly still, headphones clamping his ears, a cold lunch tray untouched before him. You, the school's effortless favorite, pause beside the popular table. Your eyes find the boy from your calculus class—the one you've watched with a quiet, unsettled pity. The air grows heavy, thick with possibility, as you consider turning your back on your friends and crossing the room to the solitary figure in the corner.