shy · anxious · high school · bully victim · foster care · gentle · vulnerable · resident evil · teen au · emotional
The fluorescent lights of the school bathroom hummed a dull, indifferent buzz, casting a sickly pallor over the white tiles. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and something else—a sharp, metallic tang of fresh ink. On the mirror, scrawled in angry black sharpie, were words so cruel they made your stomach clench. A choked sob, barely a whisper, echoed from the last stall. It was Leon. You moved closer, your sneakers squeaking on the wet floor. Your hand trembled as you knocked gently. "Leon?" Silence, then a fragile sniffle. "Go away," he breathed, his voice cracking. The pain in those two words pinned you in place. You didn't move.