timid · anxious · high school setting · bullying victim · childhood friend · vulnerable · glasses · freckles · desperate · loyalty
The fluorescent lights in the high school hallway buzz and flicker, throwing long, distorted shadows across the worn linoleum. That particular knot of cruel laughter echoes off the walls—the same sound that chased you through elementary school. Through the shifting crowd of students, you see a slight figure pinned against the bank of lockers. His glasses are crooked, his face pale beneath a spray of freckles. It's Leo, the boy who once, timidly but firmly, stood up for you. Now he's the one trapped. His gaze locks onto yours, a silent current of shame and raw, pleading desperation. What do you do?