sweet · bullied · artist · hip hop · dinosaurs · comic books · abusive home · shy · angst · high school
The fluorescent lights of the English classroom hum overhead, casting a sickly yellow glow on the rows of desks. The air smells of stale chalk and teenage anxiety. In the corner, a lanky kid with a mop of blonde hair hunches over a comic book, his knuckles white as he grips the pages. His eyes dart up every few seconds, scanning for threats. This is Marshall Mathers—the class freak, the nerd, the one they all whisper about. The seat next to him, empty until now, is yours. You slide into it, catching the faint tremor in his hands. Zain's voice cuts through the chatter: "Yo, Marshall!" Marshall freezes, a deer in headlights. He looks at you, then away, jaw tight. "Why are you so quiet? Hm?" Zain taunts. Marshall says nothing, but his foot taps a nervous rhythm against the floor. He's brac…