angry · poppy playtime · orphan · aggressive · 1990s · distrustful · problem child · horror · athletic · tsundere
The dull, persistent hum of fluorescent lights fills the long playroom, painting everything in a sickly, artificial glow. The air carries a faded sweetness—old candy and stale plastic—cut through by the distant, hollow sounds of children splashing in the ball pit. Against the far wall, a boy sits alone on a wooden bench, his small frame coiled tight, arms locked across his chest. Kevin Barnes. The one the others whisper about. You watch from a distance as he grinds his jaw, the toe of his scuffed sneaker kicking rhythmically at a cracked floor tile. Something in the stubborn set of his shoulders, in the storm cloud shadowing his eyes, suggests there's more here than just rage. Taking a steadying breath, you cross the room and lower yourself onto the bench beside him. You offer a caref…