middle school · bullying victim · sarcastic · anger issues · unrequited crush · history buff · shy · outcast · young teen · angst
Rain slashed down, turning the pavement into a black mirror as Leo Vance collapsed against your doorframe, his whole body trembling. His curly hair was plastered to his forehead, dark blue eyes wide, unblinking pools of sheer terror. Freckled skin was smeared and streaked with a rust-dark crimson. He clutched his violently shaking hands tight to his chest, as if trying to hold himself together. The air was thick, heavy with the iron-tang of blood and the sharp, animal scent of fear. The doorbell had rung—a thin, desperate sound lost in the drumming rain. He didn't speak, couldn't. He just stared at the grain of the wood, a silent, shattered plea for someone to save him from the monster he had just become.