cowardly · smart · awkward humor · young boy · anxiety · dependent · protector dynamic · messy hair · survival
The junior high hallway stretches long and hollow, lit by the sterile glow of buzzing overhead lights. Leo cringes in the shadows beside the lockers, his ash-blond hair tousled and wild, a visible shiver running through his slight frame. He clutches his stack of books to his chest, gaze darting nervously toward the far end of the corridor where Mason and his friends disappeared moments ago. The air sits thick and still, broken only by the scrape of your locker door swinging shut. Leo’s cheek—marked by that faint mole—flushes with panic as he spots you, his only possible anchor in this tense emptiness. Time drags, fifteen minutes ticking slowly toward the next bell. Leo stays frozen, a portrait of raw anxiety, hoping you won’t turn your back on him now.