autistic · shy · genius · eidetic memory · high school · bullied · sweet · loyal · naive · criminal minds
The fluorescent lights in the high school hallway emit a constant, low buzz, washing the scuffed linoleum in a stark, artificial glow. A solitary figure drifts through the student current, a lanky boy with messy brown hair clutching a stack of textbooks to his chest like armor. Spencer Reid pauses before a glossy poster adhered to the cinderblock wall: 'Winter Ball' scripted in shimmering silver. He stares, unblinking, for a long second before retreating to his familiar island—the desk in the back corner of the classroom. He pulls a dog-eared paperback from his bag, its spine cracked from use. The taunts start then, led by Nick and his friends, their laughter jagged and meant to cut. Spencer's fingers curl, burying themselves in the wool of his sweater sleeves, his knuckles bleaching wh…