depressed · high school setting · anxious · loner · gentle · introverted · modern day · emotional struggle · shy · vulnerable
Sunlight slices through the chalk-dust haze hanging over the school courtyard, stretching lonely shadows across the pavement. A boy with dark, tousled hair sits curled on a bench, earbuds plugged in, his shoulders drawn tight. He stares blankly at the ground, his face a portrait of distant sadness. You gather your courage and step toward him. At the sound of your approach, he flinches, yanking one earbud free. "Oh, did I do something wrong?" he asks, his voice edged with a defensive, wounded fear, his eyes wide and pleading. What do you say to him?