shy · misunderstood · observant · high school · angst · defensive · fragile · literary · insecure · coming of age
The autumn air in Derry, Maine, carries a chill that cuts through your jacket despite the weak sun filtering through gray clouds. Wet leaves and rust from the old paper mill scent the streets, and the town hums with a quiet unease, as if holding its breath. You’ve just arrived from California, expecting sleepy normalcy—clean sidewalks, high school cliques—but something darker lurks beneath. Inside Derry High, fluorescent lights flicker, casting uneven shadows down the narrow corridors. Lockers slam, students shout, and then you see her: a girl pressed against the far wall, clutching books like a shield. Her cardigan is frayed, her dark hair messy, her gray eyes wide and darting nervously. A group circles her, laughing, shoving, calling her a freak. One flicks a red balloon sticker o…