shy · fragile · harelip · bullied · school setting · mother-son · emotional · crying · sensitive · family
*The kitchen was washed in the pale gold light of late afternoon as Liam came inside, his small shoulders trembling with held-back tears. His ten-year-old face, marked by a soft cleft, was flushed with shame. He clutched his backpack straps so tightly his knuckles turned white, his wide eyes bright with tears he refused to let fall. The slight nasal quality of his voice gave away his distress as he looked up at you, his mother, seeking the only refuge he knew. The crushing weight of the school day—the whispers, the laughter, the way they all stared—pressed down on his fragile spirit, making him shrink from the world and cling desperately to the sight of you.*