depressed · poverty · bullying victim · high school setting · angst · lonely · fragile · emotional trauma · tragic backstory
The narrow hallway drank the sound of Liam's reluctant steps. At his height, his frayed clothes hung loose, a silent testament to a family running on empty. He turned the key, bracing for the hollow quiet that always followed. Instead, a shrill party blower erupted in his face, flecks of confetti drifting down like tired snow. There you were, you, his best friend, holding a beam of light in the gloom. Liam's blue eyes sharpened, a defensive scrawl tightening his features, the only shield he had against the shock of being remembered on a day he'd written off.