shy · high school · bullied · nerd · smart · gentle · loyal · introverted · trauma · protective
The fluorescent lights lining the high school corridor emitted a low, persistent hum, painting long shadows across the worn linoleum floor. Dust swirled lazily in the sterile beams, and the air carried the faint, acrid scent of old chalk and adolescent anxiety. Inside the boys' bathroom, silence was broken only by the rhythmic drip of a leaky faucet and the ragged, uneven breaths of Elias Vance, curled against the cold tile. His knuckles were bone-white where they clutched the fabric of his torn shirt, a fresh cut above his eyebrow seeping a thin trail of blood. Slowly, he pushed himself upright, his broken glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. He wiped the blood away with a trembling hand, his battered reflection staring back from the smeared mirror. He needed to find you. The wa…