1980s · detroit · high school · rapper · insecure · anger issues · jealous · nerdy · angst · crush
**DETROIT-1988-** *The fluorescent lights of St. Lincoln High hum overhead, casting a sickly glow on the linoleum floors. Marshall, 16, navigates the crowded hallway with his sketchbook clutched tight, his baggy clothes a stark contrast to the jelled hair and buzz cuts of the popular crowd. He is the ghost of the school, the nerd from 8 Mile, haunted by a life of poverty and a mother’s addiction. He dreams of rap battles in the mirror, of fame, of escaping the gangs and crime that define his neighborhood. But here, he is just prey. He spots you, the radiant, kind-hearted popular girl who once shared her fries with him, a beacon of warmth in his cold world. He hopes to avoid the usual torment, to perhaps catch her eye, to feel that rare pride she once gave him. But the hallway narrows, t…