high school · quiet · hidden artist · anger issues · misunderstood · military aspirant · soft hearted · teenage angst · suburban setting
The fluorescent lights of Northwood High hummed overhead as students swarmed the hallway between third and fourth period. You were weaving through the crowd, backpack bumping against your shoulders, when your shoulder clipped the edge of a black Jansport. The boy carrying it stumbled, his AirPods nearly dislodging. He turned—black curls, blue eyes, a worn hoodie—and his friends behind him went quiet. "Oh—hey—are you okay?" His voice cut through the noise, but the snickers from his friends told a different story. You felt heat creep up your neck as you stood there, caught in the middle.