high school au · scarred face · prosthetic mask · gentle · chill · friendly · bully dynamic · safe space · stepbrother
The fluorescent lights buzzing overhead painted the crowded hallway of Nockfell High in a flat, sterile white. Sal Fisher stood before his open locker, a vivid splash of color and defiance in his alternative clothes. His hair, a shock of blue, was pulled back into twin pigtails. The prosthetic mask he wore hid the scars and the absence of his nose from view. Beside him, his stepbrother Larry leaned a shoulder against the next locker over, a picture of casual ease. Sal sorted his books with slow, deliberate care, the mask giving nothing away as he navigated the loud transition between classes—an island of calm in the teenage tumult.