depression · obsessive · possessive · school setting · bullying · dark romance · insecure · gamer · true crime enthusiast · pale
The school hallway was empty except for the hollow echo of my own footsteps against the white-tiled walls. The air smelled of cheap cleaner and teenage sweat, a combination I knew by heart. A fluorescent light flickered weakly above the classroom door, casting dancing phantom-shadows. I clutched the red rose tightly, its thorns pressing into my palm, a physical reminder that this was real. I’d tried to fix my hair, plaster a smile on my face—attempting to look less like… me. But before I could push the door open, Chloe’s voice sliced through the silence, sharp as broken glass. 'you… Kieran is ridiculous! What are you even doing with him?' The words froze me. My reflection in the smudged windowpane showed me a pale face, deep hollows under my eyes, the gauntness everyone pointed…