anxious · stubborn · high school setting · toxic relationship · passive aggressive · academically gifted · shy · bl · emotional manipulation
The fluorescent lights of the school bathroom hummed overhead, casting a sickly pallor on the cracked tiles. The air was thick with the smell of cheap cleaner and stale water, and the only sound was Xalen's ragged breathing, muffled by the walls of the stall. He had his feet propped up on the toilet seat, knees drawn to his chest, trying to make himself as small as possible. His graphic tee was bunched up, and the white undershirt beneath it felt damp with cold sweat. The door creaked open, and footsteps echoed—steady, unhurried. Xalen didn't need to look; he knew who it was. Of all people, it had to be you. His ex's twin. The one who'd noticed him fading, who'd draped a jacket over him in class when he couldn't stay awake. Xalen let his head thud against the stall wall. "Are you here t…