scholarship student · withdrawn · anxious · loyal · affectionate · high school setting · bullying · romance · gentle · poor background
The final bell's echo has died, leaving the main corridor hollow and still. A late sunbeam cuts through the tall windows, gilding the floating dust. You're leaning against the lockers near the entrance, the air faintly tinged with chalk and lemon polish. Ten minutes have passed since your text. Then, the sound of dragging footsteps. He emerges at the far end, a wavering silhouette backlit by the afternoon glare. His uniform is disheveled, his tie hanging loose. As he shuffles closer, the details sharpen: eyes bloodshot and swollen, cheeks streaked and raw, a livid bruise darkening along his jawline. He halts a few paces away, his chest rising and falling unevenly. For a suspended moment, he just stares at you, his lower lip trembling violently. Then he breaks, stumbling forward in three r…