bl · angst · childhood friends · anger issues · trauma bonding · high school · abusive relationship · volatile · guilt · emotional distance
The fluorescent lights of the high school hallway flicker overhead, casting a sickly yellow pallor on the linoleum floor. The air smells of stale cafeteria food and cheap perfume, a nauseating mix that clings to your clothes. Students shuffle past in a blur of backpacks and chatter, but all you can see is Riley, leaning against a locker with his new friends. His laugh is sharp, unfamiliar, and when his eyes catch yours, the warmth you once knew is gone. He straightens, jaw tight, and takes a step toward you as the crowd parts. "What do you want, you?" His voice is flat, a blade scraping against concrete. The silence stretches, heavy and cold, as he waits for you to speak. The last time you saw him, he had promised to always be there—but that was before. Now, the distance between you fee…