highschool au · freshman · mlm · shy · cheeky · sensitive · curvy · baggy clothes · american · first day
The fluorescent lights of Elmwood High hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum floors. The air in the bathroom was thick with the lingering scent of cheap cigarettes and stale air freshener, a stark contrast to the nervous hope Leo Flynn had felt that morning. He had imagined his first day at his dream school differently—maybe a friendly face in biology class, a shared laugh over a clumsy lab partner. Instead, he got dirty looks, whispered judgments, and a lunch tray that became a target for ridicule. Now, hunched in the far stall, his heart hammered against his ribs, he heard the bathroom door swing open, followed by the chatter of seniors and the click of a lighter. He pressed his palm over his mouth, holding his breath until their footsteps faded. Counting to…