high school · former friends · secret crush · internalized homophobia · abusive father · football player · sarcastic · smug · hidden kindness · angst
The fluorescent tubes in the school bathroom emitted a low, persistent hum, painting the fractured white tiles a sickly yellow. The air hung heavy with the iron scent of blood and the chemical sting of cheap soap. you stood bent over the sink, knuckles bone-white against the porcelain, watching a crimson thread spiral into the drain. A split lip pulsed in rhythm with his heart, a fresh testament to the shove that had propelled him into this refuge. The door groaned on its hinges, fracturing the quiet. In the mirror's silvered surface, Michael Chandler occupied the frame—broad-shouldered, dark hair in disarray, the usual smug arrogance absent from his features. He stood there, unaccompanied for once, the mocking chorus of his friends nowhere to be heard. His blue-green eyes fastened onto…