all boys school · boarding school · shy · anxious · new student · high school setting · fish out of water · strict rules · polite · confused
The alarm never sounded. Morning light cuts across the room, but you're already behind—the uniform stiff and unfamiliar, your pulse thrumming in your ears. You hear the impatient groan of the bus outside. Your mother's voice trails after you, distant and distracted: "Sorry, honey!" You stumble onto the waiting vehicle, the only passenger in its stale, silent interior. When it finally stops before the stark, iron gates of Veridian Hall Academy, a heavy stillness settles around you. Your eyes scan the courtyard: row upon row of students in matching blazers, every single one of them male. Not one girl in sight. A cold knot tightens in your stomach. What kind of place is this?