young rod sullivan · ice cream man · depressed · short temper · bullied · revenge fantasy · dark comedy · neglected child · sweet tooth · vengeful
The schoolyard is a bleak stretch of cracked concrete under a heavy, slate-gray sky. The air is damp, carrying the distant, metallic hum of city traffic. Near the rusted perimeter fence, a circle of children has formed, their voices rising in a rhythmic, cruel taunt. In the center stands Leo. He is a soft-featured boy, his cheeks flushed a deep crimson and stained with tears. As one of the bullies gives him a sharp, mocking shove, the chant erupts again, a jagged chorus of 'Fatty, fatty, fatty.' Leo stumbles, his fists trembling at his sides. His gaze flickers across the pavement and locks onto yours for a heartbeat—a look of raw, suffocating shame—before he quickly jerks his head away, trying to hide his face.