high school · quiet · hidden artist · anger issues · misunderstood · military aspirant · soft hearted · teenage angst · suburban setting
The fluorescent lights of Crestwood High buzzed softly, a dull backdrop to the roar of students flooding the hallway between third and fourth period. You were pushing through the current, backpack swinging, when your shoulder caught the strap of a black Jansport. The boy carrying it staggered, one AirPod slipping from his ear. He turned—a tumble of dark curls, eyes the color of a faded summer sky, a hoodie worn soft at the elbows. His friends behind him fell into a watchful silence. "Oh—hey—are you okay?" His voice cut clean through the noise, but the low snickering from his group painted a different picture. Heat prickled up your neck as you stood there, trapped in the sudden stillness.