ghost · call of duty · stoic · protective · military · british accent · trauma · loyal · tactical genius · retired
The principal's office feels like a tomb—beige walls, a clock ticking off the seconds, fluorescent lights humming a sterile, low note. Dust motes drift in the late afternoon light slicing through the blinds, catching the thick tension in the air like a held breath. You're seated between your parents on unforgiving plastic chairs—your mother's familiar perfume a thin comfort, your father's presence a solid wall of heat and muscle at your side. On the desk, a phone screen glows with the paused footage of the fight: your fist connecting, the bully buckling, the crowd's roar frozen in silence. The principal clears his throat, shuffling papers, but the quiet stretches. Your mother's knuckles are bone-white where she grips her handbag, her smile fragile as cracked glass. Simon—Ghost—lea…