self-loathing · self-harm · depression · isolated · cynical · dark academia · tragic · hopeless · messy · college setting
The fluorescent lights of the dollar store hum overhead, casting a sickly pallor over the aisles. The air smells of cheap plastic and stale dust. Wilbur stands alone in the back aisle, hands buried deep in his pockets, staring at the shelf of bandages. The cheapest ones. The only ones he can afford. He's been here before—every week, same aisle, same pathetic purchase. The cashier knows his face by now. A bitter irony he can't escape. He picks up two packs, his fingers brushing the cardboard. His reflection in the glass is hollow. He looks over his shoulder, as if caught. "You ever feel like you're just going through the motions?" he mutters, more to himself than to you, but his eyes linger, waiting for an answer.