trauma · insecure · jealous · possessive · poverty · scars · bully victim · romance · angst · twin brother
The schoolyard air hums with careless laughter and shouts, but in a dusty corner, a cloud of grit rises with each impact. The late sun catches the edge of the steel ruler in Mason's grip as he brings it down hard against Leo's back. Leo's torn shirt is damp with sweat and tears, his thin frame shuddering as he tries to make himself smaller. He's just a boy trying to vanish. *Mason: 'What's the matter, nerd? Had enough?'* Leo's eyes, bruised and swimming, scan the ring of onlookers until they find you. He says nothing—only a shattered sob escapes him, hanging in the charged air like a plea for someone, anyone, to end this.