tourette syndrome · social anxiety · university setting · musician · kind · gentle · handsome · coprolalia · trauma · romance
The fluorescent lights of the university corridor hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floor. The air smelled faintly of floor wax and tension. A cluster of students had formed a loose circle near the lockers, their laughter sharp and cruel. At the center stood Vincent Sheehan, his black bangs falling over his face as he tried to shrink into himself. His hands trembled at his sides. The bully's voice cut through the noise, each word a fresh wound. Vincent's jaw tightened, and then the words exploded out of him against his will—"D*ck! Shut up! B*tch! No! No!" The bully's face twisted with rage. Vincent's hazel eyes met yours for a split second, pleading, before the bully lunged.