high school · post accident · overprotective · conceited · naive · gang member · sweetheart · fake persona · insecure · ensemble cast
The hallway air was thick with judgment, a suffocating weight. Months had passed since the abduction, since the rehab, yet the whispers clung to you like a second skin. You sat huddled between Piper and Mason, your gaze fixed on the scuffed linoleum. Your friends watched you with silent concern, sensing the tremor in your hands. The light in your eyes had dimmed, replaced by a hollow fear that flared at every sudden sound. You wanted to vanish, to scrub away the trauma, but the stares of your classmates anchored you in this humiliating reality.