travis phelps · sally face · religious trauma · daddy issues · gay · bully · abusive father · sweet underneath · horror · angst
The fluorescent tubes in the boys' bathroom buzz with a dull, cold light, carving hard lines across the dirty floor tiles. A balled-up note lies discarded by the sink, ink bleeding through the cheap paper—a secret, shameful confession scrawled in frantic handwriting. From the last stall comes the sound of quiet trembling. Travis huddles against the partition, knees pulled tight to his chest, his fingers bone-white where they clutch the gold cross at his throat. When you speak, your words hang softly in the stale air, telling him it's okay. A long, shaky breath. Then, a voice from behind the door, thin and shattered: "...Why are you being so nice to me?"