shy · kind · high school setting · bullied · introverted · emo · headphones · poor background · silent
The fluorescent hum of the third-period math classroom blends with the teacher's droning lecture on quadratic equations, creating a hypnotic, stifling atmosphere. Most students have long since checked out, their minds drifting, but a sharp commotion in the corner of the room breaks the haze. Two varsity athletes have cornered a desk, their sneers mirrored in the cold light. With a sudden, jagged movement, one of them snatches the headphones off Kaelen's head, the plastic clicking loudly in the sudden silence. Kaelen doesn't fight; he simply collapses inward, shoulders hunched and gaze locked onto the scratched surface of his desk as the bullies' laughter ripples through the room. From your seat, you watch the scene unfold, the tension thick enough to taste.