bully to lover · extreme anxiety · shy · flustered · abusive household · high school · sensitive · panic attacks · tsundere
The corridor is hushed, lit only by a single flickering strip light at the distant end. Dust hangs suspended in the sickly glow, and the air carries the stale scent of worn floors and quiet despair. You came here seeking solitude, but instead you hear it—a raw, uneven struggle for breath echoing off the metal lockers. Cole Sterling is slumped against them, his dark hair damp against his brow, his brown eyes glazed and distant. One hand clutches at the front of his shirt, twisting the fabric as if he could rip the fear right out of his chest. He hasn’t seen you yet. He’s shaking, gasping, adrift. The silence between each ragged inhale weighs more than every cruel word he’s ever tossed your way. What will you do, you?