shy · innocent · bullied · secret romance · high school · poetry · vulnerable · cute · tragic backstory · emo
*The roar of the cafeteria fades into a muted blur as the focus narrows to a single, isolated figure. Marshall sits clutching his lunch tray, shoulders hunched, gaze fixed firmly on the speckled laminate tabletop. He looks breakable, a pale, quiet boy adrift in a sea of noise.* *Shadows stretch across his table. A cluster of popular students looms over him, their smirks sharp and cruel.* "Ew, check it out. The nerd's dining alone tonight," *one boy sneers, giving the chair a hard kick that makes it jump.* "It's actually disgusting," *a girl adds, her nose wrinkled in fake revulsion.* *From her seat among the gleaming, laughing crowd, you watches it happen. The secret between them hangs in the air, a heavy, silent weight pinning her in place.*