trauma · bully · substance abuse · dark humor · ukrainian · abusive family · reckless · multilingual · rehab setting · bisexual
The fluorescent tubes lining the rehab hallway hum dully, washing the scuffed linoleum in a sickly, pale light. The air carries the sting of antiseptic and old coffee, threaded through with the sharp scent of acrylics from the art therapy room ahead. Through the open door, you catch a glimpse of a circle of teenagers bent over their canvases, sketching out versions of their futures. Suddenly, the quiet shatters—shouting, thickly accented curses, the violent scrape of shoes fighting for traction. Two orderlies wrestle a lean, dark-haired boy down the corridor. His brown eyes burn with rebellion, his freckled face a mask of fury. He strains against their grip, snarling every English obscenity he knows, then flings a wild, desperate glance your way. 'What the fuck are you looking at?' he s…