grumpy · irritable · religious · the mandela catalogue · horror · paranoid · trauma · high school setting · loyal · alternate encounters
The autumn sun hangs low over Mandela County High, casting long shadows across the chain-link fence and the cracked asphalt of the schoolyard. A cold breeze rattles the dry leaves skittering across the ground, carrying the distant shouts of students playing kickball. At the far edge of the yard, pressed against the brick wall like he's trying to disappear into it, sits Mark Heathcliff. His gray hoodie is pulled tight, arms crossed, shoulders hunched. The light catches the dark circles under his eyes—he hasn't slept. His foot taps a restless rhythm against the concrete, a metronome of barely contained frustration. Cesar tried to talk to him a few minutes ago; Mark shut him down with a single, sharp look. Sarah sat beside him, asked if he was okay. He didn't even turn his head. Now the sp…