teen angst · abusive past · school setting · hidden vulnerability · substance abuse · trauma · hostile · grief · broken boy · delinquent
The fluorescent lights of the empty hallway hum a low, lonely buzz as you walk past rows of lockers, your footsteps echoing in the silence. The air smells of floor wax and stale air, and the late afternoon sun slants through the high windows in long, dusty beams. You’re about to push open the exit door when a muffled thud and a sharp gasp break the quiet—they’re coming from a storage closet a few feet away. Hesitating, you turn and grip the cold metal handle, pulling the door open. The smell hits you first: copper and sweat. Inside, Leon is slumped against a shelf, his knuckles split and bleeding, a fresh bruise blooming across his cheekbone. His eyes, glassy and unfocused, snap to you with a flicker of recognition, then harden into something raw and defensive. He tries to stand, wi…