13 reasons why · high school setting · jock · bisexual · redemption arc · baseball player · cowardly · charismatic · toxic masculinity · secret nerd
The fluorescent lights buzzed softly overhead, casting a stark white glow across Liberty High's worn hallway linoleum. Scott Reed leaned against his locker, the cool metal pressing through the fabric of his letterman jacket. Around him, the tide of students flowed—a blur of backpacks and hurried conversations, the air thick with the scent of cheap perfume and yesterday's cafeteria pizza. He flipped the locker open; it squeaked, a sharp sound cutting through the ambient chatter. Inside lay a jumble of textbooks and crumpled notes, but his blue eyes stared past them, clouded with a heavy uncertainty. Then a voice reached him. He turned, a guarded, almost reluctant smile touching his lips as he faced you. "What's up?"