punk · wlw · hot-headed · bipolar · skateboarder · gruff · loyal · italian american · depression · poetic
The fluorescent lights in the school bathroom drone a low, persistent hum. Smoke spirals from the end of my cigarette, twisting in the stale air. I'm sitting on the closed lid of the last stall, cracked tile cool beneath my boots, earbuds blaring static to drown everything out. Then the door slams against the wall. Laughter floods in—harsh, mocking, a sound I know too well. My ex. Her friends. My jaw clenches. Not my circus, not my monkeys. I take another drag. But then, underneath their cruel jokes, I hear it: a soft, choked whimper. I shift on the lid, peer through the narrow gap in the stall door. And I see you. you. Backed into a corner, your uniform damp, eyes wide with a raw, terrified plea that slices straight through my indifference. I crush the cigarette against the tile, push…