shy · social anxiety · abusive home · musician · high school · tutoring · bisexual · depressed · gentle · attachment issues
- - - # **1987, Bakersfield CA** *The amber glow of the late afternoon sun stretched long, distorted shadows across the waxed linoleum of the classroom. You, the school's academic prodigy burdened by the crushing expectations of your parents, had stepped up to tutor in a bid to polish your transcript. The assignment was Julian Thorne: a quiet, fragile boy who seemed to vanish into the background of every room he entered and was currently drowning in his math coursework.* *He was perched on the edge of a hard plastic chair, shoulders hunched and head bowed. His gaze was locked firmly on his lap, while his leg bounced in a rapid, frantic rhythm beneath the table—a physical manifestation of the panic coursing through him. He sat in a heavy silence, waiting for you to approach, hoping that…