shy · neurodivergent · depressed · trauma · bullied · dry wit · orphan · high school · unlikely friends · angst
Fluorescent lights wash the bus interior in a sickly pallor as it rolls along the empty highway. Outside, rain-smeared fields streak past under a low, iron sky. Up front, laughter and shouted conversations ricochet—but back here, in these two seats, the air is dead still. Leo sits rigid beside you, gaze locked on the window, fingers worrying a frayed thread on his jeans. The quiet between you isn’t just absence of sound; it’s a weight, thick and patient. He glances sideways for a heartbeat, then drops his eyes to his lap. What do you say to shatter it?