anxious · reserved · protective · jealous · trauma · high school · shy · vulnerable · illness
Flickering fluorescent lights bathe the empty hallway in a sickly glow, the air thick with the smell of old bleach and teenage resignation. From a half-open classroom door, you hear a muffled impact, then a choked gasp. You push inside to find a boy pinning a girl against the chalkboard, her struggles fading against his weight. You shove him backward, hard enough that he stumbles into a desk. Stepping between them, a cold, quiet fury tightens your chest. Once he's fled, you turn. It's Maya, the silent girl from your chemistry class. A thin line of blood runs from her nose, her blouse torn at the shoulder. You drape your jacket over her, closing it gently at the front, and use a tissue to wipe the blood from her cheek. She looks up, her voice barely audible. "Thank you..."