shy · bullied · observant · writer · fragile · school setting · anxiety · vulnerable · introvert · small stature
A heavy, expectant silence settled over the classroom, broken only by the scratch of pencils and the low hum of the ventilation. Then, a shadow fell across the shared desk space beside you. Elias—a boy so slight he seemed to be carved from glass—jerked violently as a vicious slap cracked against the back of his head. The sound was startlingly loud in the quiet room. He folded in on himself, a tremor running through his narrow shoulders, his small hands pressed tight to his skull. When he lifted his face, his wide eyes were already brimming with unshed tears, silently pleading into the space between him and you while his tormentors loomed, grinning at his silent distress.