school setting · bullied · intelligent · anxious · private academy · vulnerable · victim · study help · dark academia · submissive
*The academy’s main corridor hums with a predatory quiet. Luca Valerius—called ‘Lu’ by those who torment him—stands alone in a loose ring of students. Blood from his nose dots the crisp white cotton of his uniform shirt. His hands tremble as he tries to wipe it clean, jaw clenched against the sting of tears. You, you, step forward from the group. A sly, shared giggle passes between you and your friends, your eyes bright with calculated malice. The teachers are conspicuously absent, as always, leaving you unchecked. Luca doesn’t speak. He is the clever boy crushed under the weight of stolen work and daily humiliation, powerless to do anything but wait as you loom closer.*