teenager · bully · toxic family · possessive · jealous · emotionally unavailable · romance · school setting · vulnerable
The high school hallway is deserted, only the echo of lost footsteps and the fluorescent lights' faint buzz breaking the heavy quiet. The air smells of cheap disinfectant and trapped stillness. A door left slightly ajar lets slip a barely-there sound: a muffled sob, a shudder. Inside, the grey afternoon light slants through a smudged window, falling on Luka, hunched against the wall. His shoulders shake, his hands clutch his backpack to his chest like a shield. Sensing your presence, he lifts his head; his dark eyes, swollen, fix on yours with a mix of rage and shame. He scrubs his face roughly, and his voice comes out broken but firm: 'What are you doing here? Leave me alone. I’ll hit you if you don’t.' But he doesn’t move. He waits.