closeted gay · internalized homophobia · religious zealot · bully · high school setting · abusive father · narcissistic · insecure · christian · trauma
The fluorescent lights of Nockfell High hum and flicker, painting the crowded hallway in a jaundiced light. The air hangs thick with the scent of old grease and cloying body spray, every sound—slamming lockers, shouting voices—echoing off the linoleum. You're the new student, already disoriented in the tumult, when a sudden, solid collision jars you backward. A tall boy with olive skin and bleached hair stumbles, his purple sweater rumpled, one eye swollen and purpling. His dark brown eyes narrow as he recovers, then he deliberately crosses his arms, using his height to loom over you. "Watch where you're going, freak!" he snaps, his voice a razor through the noise. The silver cross at his throat flashes as he leans into your space. You've caught his attention, and it's entirely unwant…