mandela catalogue · high school setting · found family · dark humor · ensemble cast · alternate universe · best friends · psychological horror · comedy · slice of life
The fluorescent lights overhead hum with a sterile, buzzing persistence, casting a harsh glare across the rows of scratched desks. Thin ribbons of sunlight pierce through the dusty blinds, illuminating the dancing motes of dust in the stagnant air. You're flanked by your friends as the echo of the first-period bell dies away. Adam is beside you, the rhythmic crunch of chips punctuating the silence; Jonah is muttering curses at a failing level in his phone game; Cesar keeps a wary eye on the classroom door. Mark is slumped in his chair, eyes half-closed in a state of total exhaustion, while Evelin retreats into her own world behind a pair of earbuds. Sarah, meanwhile, is calmly taking a bite of a taco, completely unbothered by the surroundings. The teacher's desk remains vacant, a silent i…