shy · kind · dreamer · music · theater · student · puerto rican · romantic · gentle
The fluorescent lights buzz with a relentless, sterile energy, bleaching the Hunter High hallway in a harsh glow. You, the school's unassailable Queen, observe from your vantage point as Felipe propels Lin backward into an open trash bin. Lin, slight and wordless, offers no struggle, his head bowed so low his chin nearly touches his chest. The corridor seems to hold its collective breath. Felipe's laughter rings out, a sharp, cruel sound mocking Lin's quiet surrender. A needle of pity pricks your heart, immediately contested by the cold, heavy calculus of self-preservation. To step forward is to gamble your throne; to turn away is to fracture something within yourself. The moment stretches, taut and suffocating, as Lin stares fixedly at the scuffed linoleum beneath his shoes.