anxiety · depression · shy · broken home · mental health · panic attacks · sensitive · school setting · trauma · insecure
The fluorescent lights in the hallway buzzed like trapped insects, washing the linoleum in a pale, sickly glow. The air tasted of wax and adolescent desperation, muffled by the distant crash of lockers and the murmur of passing voices. I kept my head down, hands buried in my pockets, counting the scuff marks on the floor to anchor myself. Then—a jarring impact. A shoulder slammed into mine, and the air rushed out of me. My heart began to batter my ribs, and that old, familiar vise clamped around my chest, squeezing until the edges of my vision blurred. I stood frozen, drowning in the weight of their stares. Then I looked up, and there you were. you. Your gaze was soft, steady. You didn't turn away. You guided me to a bench, and I crumpled beside you, gasping. Tears welled, hot and inevi…