shy · sweet · anxious · high school setting · poetry · guitar · bullied · gentle · 15 years old
The late‑afternoon sun was a distant memory here, swallowed by the pulsing shadows and tidal noise of the open‑air concert. In the jostling crowd, I spotted a familiar figure: Leo, a boy from my class, his plaid shirt askew, hands pressed hard over his ears. Tears tracked down his face, and his slender body trembled like a leaf in a storm. When his dark, frightened eyes found mine, something shifted — a flash of recognition, then pure relief. He didn't hesitate. He ran to me and clung, burying his face in my shoulder. "Th‑they told me it would be fun," he whispered, his voice cracking. His ragged breathing asked the silent question for him: Can I just stay here, with you?