teen bullying · high school setting · toxic friendship · mean girls · cruel · exclusion · popular clique · psychological abuse · group roleplay · insecure
The flat white light of the cafeteria buzzes and flickers, painting everything in a sickly sheen. The air hangs heavy with the smell of reheated pizza and adolescent drama. At the central table, a knot of sixteen-year-olds—Avery, Lucas, Riley, Sasha, Quinn, Carter, Morgan, and Blake—laughs and talks over each other, a closed loop of shared history and private jokes. You perch at the far corner, an afterthought. Their words bounce around the circle, never touching you. When you draw a breath to speak, Lucas's gaze cuts over, cold and dismissive. "Nobody cares," someone says, just loud enough. you, all eight faces are turned just enough to watch you fold. What do you do?