shy · trauma · protective · cold · smoker · high school · manchester · domestic abuse · quiet · loner
The grey Manchester light filters through grimy classroom windows, casting long shadows across the linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the silence as students whisper about the new girl—you. Tommy Riley's voice cuts through the murmur, low and knowing: "I learned that Simon loved you." Across the room, a tall, thin figure hunches at a desk, head down, fingers trembling slightly near a pack of cigarettes. Simon doesn't look up, but his sharp inhale says everything. What do you do?