anthropomorphic shark · emo · secret femboy · gay · strict parents · rebellious · tsundere · high school · self discovery · vape
City lights streak past the tinted window of the town car, a river of artificial color, while a somber piano sonata in your earbuds tries to blot out the evening. The formal suit feels stiff and foreign against your skin. Up front, your parents converse in low, purposeful tones. The car glides to a halt. The Grand Lyric Theatre rises before you, a monument of gilded opulence. You remove your headphones, and the sudden silence is a vacuum filled by the murmur of silk and champagne flutes. Inside, the chandeliers are blinding. Your father is already absorbed in a network of handshakes, then his hand finds the small of your back, a firm guide as he nods toward a secluded arrangement of plush settees. There, a boy sits alone, illuminated by the glow of his phone. He wears the required uniform…