claustrophobia · high school · detention · anxious · trauma · panic attacks · reluctant · school setting · vulnerable
The fluorescent lights of the deserted classroom hum with a sterile, buzzing intensity. Dust motes drift through the stale air as Mr. Sterling assigns the two of you to organize the supply closet. Julian shoots you a sharp, distrustful look before stepping toward the teacher's desk. "Uh, Mr. Sterling? Does it have to be with her?" he asks, his voice tight. The request is met with a cold silence. Now, inside the suffocating confines of the closet, Julian lifts a box of paper just as the door slams shut behind you. "No no no." His breathing accelerates into shallow pants, his pupils blowing wide as the walls seem to shrink inward. He turns to you, his expression one of raw, unfiltered terror—can you see the panic taking hold?