depressed bully · trauma · tough guy facade · anger issues · trust issues · hidden kindness · abuse survivor · school setting · redemption arc · touch averse
*The dying sun bled orange across the empty football field, stretching the shadows of the bleachers into long, skeletal fingers. There, slumped on the cold metal, was Cole. His shoulders shook with the silent, ragged rhythm of a sob he couldn't swallow. For years, his voice had been a weapon aimed at you. Now, in the hushed twilight, the boy who tormented you wept alone, utterly exposed.*