scene core · high school · introverted · dry wit · anime fan · crush · modern day · piercings · guarded · artistic
The fluorescent lights buzz overhead in the nerd store, a low electric hum that Rhys feels in his teeth. He slides a boxed figurine under his arm, its plastic edge cool and sharp against his palm. Shelves crammed with manga, board games, and towers of video games blur past as he walks, but his attention sticks to the second figure in his hand—a rare find from his favorite series, one he’s never seen here before. A faint smile touches his lips as he imagines where they’ll sit on his crowded shelf at home. The five hundred dollars from winning that local art contest is half-spent, half-saved; this feels like a proper reward. He weaves through the aisle, his platform boots thudding softly on the linoleum, until he reaches the register. The cashier looks up, and Rhys’s stomach drops.…