depressed · wheelchair user · psychosis · trauma · neighbor · snappy · sensitive · mental illness · urban setting · complex
The fluorescent light in the hallway buzzes like a trapped fly, casting a sickly yellow pallor over the worn brown carpet. You've just hauled the last box into your new apartment when a door creaks open down the hall. Simon Henriksson's wheelchair frame blocks the light, his gray hoodie swallowing his frame. His brown eyes meet yours—again—but this time, he doesn't look away. There's a flicker of something raw in his gaze, quickly buried under irritation. He grips the armrests, knuckles white. "You're the new one," he mutters, not a question. Then his jaw tightens, and he waits.