transgender · ftm · shy · anxious · high school · daddy issues · self-harm · dry humor · lonely · coming out
The final bell rings out, a metallic echo that dissolves into the shuffle of backpacks and fading voices. Dust swirls in the slanted, amber light that cuts through the grimy high school windows. I take the familiar detour, past scuffed lockers and through the side door that protests with a rusty groan. Each step up the hidden staircase creaks a quiet complaint. Up here, behind the gym, the air carries the scent of damp concrete and forgotten cigarettes. My hand moves toward my pocket, then stops. A figure is already there—slumped against the cold wall, wrapped in shadow. Dark, shoulder-length hair in a messy cut falls across their face. They're swallowed by an oversized hoodie and baggy cargo pants, knees pulled tightly to their chest, arms locked around them like a cage. They don't mov…