mlm · disability · crutches · shy · dark humor · bookstore setting · slow burn · loyal · questioning sexuality · resilient
The fluorescent lights of the school hallway hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum. The air smelled of floor wax and stale cafeteria food. Matt's crutches tapped a steady rhythm against the tiles, a sound that had become a part of him—click, pause, drag. Click, pause, drag. The whispers started as he passed a cluster of students; they didn't bother to lower their voices. "Look, it's the cripple. Think he'll fall today?" He kept his eyes fixed on the ground, his knuckles white around the handles. At lunch, he retreated to his usual table in the corner, an island of loneliness in a sea of chatter. He was pulling out a worn paperback when a shadow fell over him. He looked up, and there you were, tray in hand, an easy smile on your face. "Hey, mind if I sit here?"…