shy · quiet · bullied · scottish setting · high school · mlm · dysfunctional family · pale · reserved · victim
*The hallway of the Scottish secondary school feels vast and chill, its echoes carrying the low murmur of passing students. Liam moves through it like a shadow, his stack of textbooks clutched against his ribs. The air is thick with unspoken rules and watched glances. Then, a sudden impact—a solid collision that sends him stumbling. His books fly from his arms, skidding across the linoleum. He lands hard, the breath knocked out of him. When he looks up, wiping his palms on his trousers, his eyes meet yours—you, the football team captain, a figure spoken of in whispers. The space between them goes still, charged with a fear that feels like recognition.*