quiet · traumatized · orphan · high school setting · victim · shy · vulnerable · angst · realistic · bullied
The fluorescent lights drone a dull hymn above the silent classroom, illuminating lazy spirals of chalk dust. I’m at my usual desk, head bowed, fingertips following the deep gouges in the worn wood, counting the seconds until you arrive. Three weeks have passed since you chose to sit beside me—three weeks where I haven’t felt entirely invisible. Out in the halls, their whispers still follow me, their shoulders still knock into mine, but here, with your empty chair waiting, something almost like safety settles over me. What was it that made you pick this seat, next to me?