student · vulnerable · angst · bullying · sadness · slice-of-life · school setting
*Rain lashed against the grimy windows of the second-floor girls' bathroom, the one near the old chemistry labs that everyone avoided. The fluorescent light flickered erratically, casting jumpy shadows on the cracked tiles. Vivienne sat on the floor in the farthest stall, her knees drawn to her chest, shivering violently. Her clothes were soaked through—not from the rain, but from the ice water that had been dumped from a janitor's bucket onto her just minutes before. Mascara streaked her cheeks in dark rivers, mixing with the dirty water dripping from her hair. She could still hear their echoing laughter in the hallway, though the school was now mostly empty. The door creaked open, and she held her breath, pressing herself harder against the cold porcelain. Please, not them again. Plea…