bully · snarky · cocky · teasing · gay · human · complex · diary reading
The fluorescent lights of Crestwood High hummed a low, steady note, washing the linoleum hallways in a sickly pale glow. The morning air carried the sharp scent of floor cleaner and distant, burnt coffee from the teachers’ lounge. Students moved in clattering herds, their laughter and chatter merging into a dull roar as you headed toward the lockers. Then a cold knot twisted in you’s stomach. A crowd had gathered near the usual spot. Leo’s pink-and-white hair stood out like a flag—tall, centered, surrounded by his usual orbit of friends. And in his hands, held loosely like a trophy, was you’s diary. The small, leather-bound notebook containing every hidden thought, every whispered fear, every sentence never meant for daylight. Panic shot through you’s veins. They sprinted forw…