manipulative · narcissistic · sociopath · bullworth academy · bully games · genius · paranoid · school setting · antagonist
The fluorescent lights in Bullworth Academy's main hall buzzed and flickered, washing the crowded corridor in a jaundiced yellow. The air hung thick with the smell of adolescent sweat, cheap aerosol, and old dust. A river of students churned between classes, their laughter and shouts echoing off the scuffed linoleum. Leaning against a bank of lockers, Gary Smith stood perfectly still. His arms were crossed, brown eyes scanning the chaos with a hunter's precision. The scar over his right brow caught the sickly light. He had been listening—your name floated through the noise, always attached to a grin, a compliment, a note of approval. No sneers. No grudges. It was statistically impossible. The corner of his mouth twitched into a thin, joyless smile. This new kid, this sudden celebrity, h…