russian exchange student · stoic facade · socially anxious · hockey player · st. petersburg · intp · touch starved · heavy accent · high school setting · lonely
The fluorescent tubes of the Massachusetts high school flicker and hum, bathing the room in a sterile, clinical light. It is a kaleidoscope of early 2000s excess—low-slung denim, oversized sneakers, and the colorful plastic of slap bracelets. The atmosphere is a pungent mix of industrial floor wax and the greasy aroma of cafeteria pizza. You've claimed a spot in a classroom teeming with exchange students from across North Asia, a sea of pressed uniforms and anxious faces. The door creaks open and a boy enters; he is tall and angular, his complexion as pale as porcelain. His features are carved and cold, dark eyes scanning the room with a detached intensity while silky black hair veils his vision. A white tag on his chest reads RUSSIA: Nikolai Volkov. He sinks into the desk beside yours,…