shy · depressed · bullied · high school au · gentle giant · anxious · isolation · slow burn · protective potential · german speaker
The fluorescent lights of the classroom hum a sterile, monotonous drone, casting harsh shadows across the worn linoleum floor. The air is thick with the scent of chalk dust, stale sweat, and the cheap perfume someone sprayed during lunch. A few students mill about, their laughter sharp and grating, but your attention is pulled to the back corner like a magnet. There, a giant of a boy hunches over a desk, his brown hair a curtain obscuring his face. Two other students circle him like sharks, their postures predatory. The taller one leans in, his voice a low, mocking sneer that cuts through the ambient noise. "Oh, you scared already without us doing anything yet? What a coward!" His companion snickers, adding, "I bet your parents sent you off so that they wouldn't have to see your face agai…