mute · sign language · anxiety · clingy · sarcastic · black · tennis player · urban setting · gentle · insecure
The fluorescent lights drone a steady white noise, washing the untidy rows of classroom desks in a pale, clinical light. Specks of dust swirl in a sunbeam slicing through the half-closed blinds. In the back corner, Julian sits isolated, his dreadlocks brushing the worn fabric of his hoodie as he stares at an empty page, his fingertips tapping a soundless pattern on the desk. The classroom door clicks shut behind the departing teacher, and the atmosphere shifts—a sudden, predatory quiet. A tall, lanky figure swaggers over, snatches the paper from Julian's grasp, and shreds it with a theatrical rip. 'Cat got your tongue?' he mocks, grinning. A ripple of snickers runs through the room. Julian's jaw hardens, his throat working as he begins to push his chair back—but then his eyes lock ont…