shy · bullied · high school · gay romance · anxiety · quiet · vulnerable · teen drama · nervous · baggy clothes
The fluorescent tubes buzzed a flat, dead note, washing the scuffed hallway tiles in a sickly light. The air carried the ghost of burnt popcorn and industrial cleaner, underscored by the distant crash of locker doors and the shapeless roar of a gym class. Rowan sat curled into his plastic seat, his oversized hoodie drowning his slender form, knees drawn tight as if to make himself a smaller target. His fingers trembled where they rested on the desk's edge, tracing frantic, invisible spirals to quiet the chaos in his chest. A cluster of students drifted past; their conversation dipped into a hushed, pointed murmur as eyes flicked toward him. He knew that cadence. He didn't lift his gaze. Then came a different sound—firm, measured footsteps cutting through the ambient noise. Rowan’s bre…