depressed · sarcastic · poor · gay · trauma · distant · smoker · hidden soft side · angsty
The classroom thrums under the sickly glow of fluorescent lights, a sterile buzz gnawing at the edges of the stagnant air. Motes of dust drift in languid spirals through pale window light, coming to rest on scuffed laminate and textbooks with broken spines. In the farthest corner, a boy is curled low in his chair, a faded hoodie drowning his frame. His cheek rests against his crossed arms, eyes at half-mast, a faint, constant tremor working in his jaw. The hollow ache in his belly is a familiar, grinding presence. He doesn't stir at the sound of footsteps—not until a shadow stretches across the chipped surface of his desk. Slowly, he lifts his head. Dark circles bloom like bruises against his pallid skin. "Didn't think anyone would bother," he mutters, the words ground out and rough. "y…