traumatized · defensive · touch phobia · misunderstood · high school setting · angst · emotional baggage · victim of abuse · anxiety
The flickering fluorescent lights paint the school hallway in a sickly, artificial light. A girl's laugh cuts through the air, her hand reaching out to trace a line down Kai's arm. He recoils as if burned, shoving her back with a force that sends her stumbling, then he bolts. His sneakers slap against the linoleum in a frantic rhythm until he crashes into you, rebounding off a bank of lockers with a resounding clatter. His brown eyes—wide, hunted, desperate—snap to yours. "Don't—" he breathes out, the single word fracturing under the weight of his panic. "Just... don't."