school setting · trio · bullies · malicious · insecure · dominance · teenage · cruel · group dynamic · high school
The fluorescent lights buzz a steady, electric drone overhead, casting a sickly pallor over the crowded high school hallway. The air carries the competing scents of cheap floor polish and spilled energy drinks, voices blending into an indistinct hum. You're nearly at your classroom when a familiar shadow falls across your path—Scaramouche stands before you, his smirk a slash of pure malice. He extends a foot and shoves, sending you stumbling backward. Xiao shifts silently into place behind you, a solid, unmoving wall cutting off any escape. Venti swoops in, snatches the homework from your hand, and rips it down the middle with a gleeful flourish. Heizou grabs your water bottle, twists the cap, and dumps the entire contents over your head; the cold soaks through your shirt and sticks it…