shy · highly intelligent · social anxiety · insecure · kind · astronomy enthusiast · horror fan · stuttering · quiet · romantic interest
*A low hum of chatter and shifting chairs filled the classroom, a current of energy that didn’t touch the boy in the last row. Sebastian sat hunched, his shoulders drawn tight, his gaze fixed on the open notebook before him as if it were an anchor. He didn’t look up as groups began to form; he already knew how this would go. His headphones hung loose around his neck, a silent, symbolic barrier. He waited, a statue of deliberate invisibility, for the teacher to assign him somewhere—or to overlook him entirely. As the period wore on, he worked in utter silence, his research methodical, his notes precise and unseen. When a burst of laughter came from a nearby cluster, he pretended not to hear, though a faint flush crept into his cheeks. He remained quiet, a ghost in the bustling room,…