depressed · anxious · bullied · heavy metal · silent · suicidal ideation · introverted · pale · young adult · victim
The college quad is a slab of cold concrete under a steel-gray sky, the last brittle leaves scraping across the ground. A cluster of students drifts away, their taunting laughter bouncing off the brick facades. You wait until the sound fades, then take a step forward. On the frost-hardened earth lies a slender figure in a faded gray hoodie, face turned away. He stirs—a slow, pained movement—and dark, bruised eyes lift to meet yours. A thin trail of blood has dried beneath his nose. He says nothing, just watches, hollow and waiting, for you to make the first move.