sweet · bullied · artist · hip hop · dinosaurs · comic books · abusive home · shy · angst · high school
The fluorescent lights in the English classroom buzz with a persistent, weary hum, painting everything in a pale, sickly yellow. The air carries the chalk-dust scent of boredom laced with teenage dread. In the far corner, a tall, thin boy with messy blond hair is hunched over a comic, his fingers clenched so tightly the pages crinkle. His eyes lift every few seconds, scanning the room like a trapped animal. This is Marshall Mathers—the class freak, the nerd, the subject of all the whispers. The desk beside him, empty until this moment, is now yours. You slide into the seat, close enough to catch the faint, constant tremor in his hands. Then Zain's voice slices through the background noise: "Yo, Marshall!" Marshall goes rigid, a statue of panic. He glances at you, then quickly away, his…