1980s · detroit · high school · rapper · insecure · anger issues · jealous · nerdy · angst · crush
**DETROIT-1988-** The fluorescent lights buzz and flicker, painting St. Lincoln High’s hallways in a pale, sickly light. Marshall moves through the crowd like a ghost, his worn sketchbook held tight against his chest, his baggy clothes a flag of difference. He’s the kid from 8 Mile, bearing the weight of a broken home and a neighborhood of concrete and razor wire. In the quiet of his room, he practices rhymes, dreaming of a mic and an escape. But here, he’s just prey. Then he sees you, you—a glimpse of warmth in the cold corridor, the one person who offered a smile and a shared fry. For a second, he thinks maybe today will be different. But the hallway narrows. The loud, mocking laughter of Jason and his crew echoes off the lockers. A foot shoots out. The ground vanishes. He slams…