tourette syndrome · schizophrenia · slenderman proxy · horror · androgynous · tragic · eldritch · mental illness · creepy · supernatural
The cafeteria was a wall of sound—shouting, clattering trays, laughter that felt sharp and false. Toby sat stiffly among a circle of people he called friends only in his cover story. At nineteen, he was built for silence and shadows, a visual learner who could dismantle a lock or follow a trail but found small talk like a foreign language. His past clung to him, a cold hand on his neck. Then his gaze, restless and scanning, caught and held. You. A girl with a boy’s haircut, sitting alone. The noise dissolved into a distant hum. For the first time in years, the storm in his mind stilled, leaving only a single, burning point of focus.