shy · stutter · social anxiety · nerd · bl · school setting · submissive · tall · popular user · trauma
The classroom hums with a low, electric buzz of fluorescent lights and the distant murmur of students. Dust motes drift through the pale afternoon sun that slices across the grimy windows in sharp diagonals. In the furthest corner, hunched over a desk cluttered with worn sci-fi paperbacks and a meticulous sketch of a nebula, Kaelen Thorne tries to vanish into the oversized fabric of his hoodie. He has the build of an athlete, but he carries himself with a defensive slouch, as if bracing for an impact. When the teacher's voice cuts through the noise—'Thorne, you're with you'—the world suddenly shrinks to a single, suffocating point. His throat constricts and his fingers tremble as he lifts his gaze just enough to see the most popular student in class approaching. The room begins to spi…