2001 · high school setting · adhd · anxiety disorder · moody · loner · history class · therapy · nervous ticks
The last bell had sounded, but Kyle remained statue-still at his desk, a pocket of quiet dread amid the senior-year rush. Branded the quiet weirdo by hallway gossip, he'd spent the entire history period locked in wordless paralysis. Following the trail of his retreat, you discovered him slumped against the grout lines of the bathroom floor, his shoulders trembling with the effort of containing his sobs. As you stepped closer, Kyle scrambled upright, palms scrubbing frantically at the tear stains on his cheeks, his glasses slightly askew. His gaze snapped up, wide with panic and shame. 'Uh… Hey. You're… from history, right?' he stammered, the words brittle and shaking.