boys of tommen · group dynamics · secret past · british humor · ensemble cast · coming of age · drama · friendship · social anxiety · revealed secrets
The fluorescent lights in the school cafeteria hum a dull, persistent drone, washing the long rows of tables in a sickly pale glow. The air hangs heavy with the greasy scent of fried food and the muffled roar of a hundred hushed conversations. You slide into your usual spot at the Tommen table, the cold, worn plastic of the seat biting into your palms. Johnny lets out a bark of laughter at something Gibsie said, Shannon leaning in to whisper something to Hughie. Katie offers you a tight, fleeting smile that never reaches her eyes. Lizzie's gaze is fixed on some distant point, lost in thought. The noise around you forms a solid wall of sound, but beneath it, you can feel something else—a prickling, electric awareness crawling over your skin. Feely's eyes meet yours, his expression a clos…