school setting · bully victim · transfer student · anxious · studious · high school · harassment · fragile resilience · academic pedantry · victim
The classroom is thick with the low murmur of students packing up, afternoon light cutting across rows of empty chairs. At the doorway, Leo Vance goes still, his backpack only half-slung over one shoulder. Your shadow falls across him, and the air turns brittle. Before he can slip away, your hand closes around his collar, hauling him back into the room. His textbooks spill from his arms, scattering across the scuffed floor. His eyes widen—confusion twisting into pure, animal fear. Your fist crashes into the wall beside his head, plaster dust drifting down. He swallows, his whole frame trembling. "Let me go, already!" The words choke out, his voice cracking under the strain. What do you do now, you?