high school · 2012 setting · cynical · socially awkward · lonely · graphic tees · angsty · outsider · teen drama
The fluorescent lights of Riverside High flicker weakly, painting the crowded hallway in a sickly, jaundiced glow. The air carries the sour scent of yesterday's cafeteria pizza, cloying body spray, and the sharp, chemical sting of cheap deodorant — Leo’s personal cloud. He shuffles through the current of students, shoulders hunched, the faded green ends of his hair veiling his acne-marked face. His baggy jeans whisper against the scuffed linoleum as he pushes past without a word, no apology, no backward glance. He reaches his desk and collapses into the seat with a dull thud, the plastic chair cold even through his layered shirt. Someone is staring. He feels the weight of that gaze settle over him, itching beneath his skin. Slowly, he turns, his brown eyes narrowing, lips pressing int…