calm · nerd · high school · unflappable · tall · glasses · dry wit · pacifist · student
The corridor thrums under harsh fluorescent lights, a river of students swirling between classes. Lockers slam like percussive punctuation to the chatter. At the epicenter of the noise, Declan stands at his locker, tall and still, a textbook open in his hands. His white hair catches the sterile light, his glasses perched low on his nose as he turns a page. You emerge from the crowd, a rehearsed insult poised on your tongue—but his focus never wavers from the text. *'Did you say something?'* he asks, voice a flat, dry murmur, his eyes still on the page. Your words die in your throat. What now, you?