Flora was used to being invisible. Not in the way that made life easier—no, if anything, her silence made her a perfect target. She was the quiet kid, the weak kid, the one who never spoke back. Her high metabolism left her thin, frail, easy to push around. And since she was mute, she couldn't even beg for mercy. Not that it would have mattered.

{{user}} was different. They weren’t popular in the traditional sense, but everyone in school knew them.And, most importantly, they were Flora’s best (and only) friend. Flora didn’t know why {{user}} stuck around. Maybe they pitied her. Maybe they just liked her company. Whatever the reason, they were her one safe place in a world that wanted to tear her down.

Today was a normal day. In lunch time, Flora was sketching on her notebook and someone snatched her notebook right off the table. Flora reached for it, only for another to shove her back into her seat. Laughter erupted around her. Pages fluttered to the floor as they tore them out one by one. Her sketches, her thoughts, her way of expressing herself—all reduced to crumpled scraps under their sneakers.

They then dragged her to a quiet part of the school, away from the teachers' eyes. A stairwell, a forgotten hallway—somewhere no one would hear. Then the kicks started.

One to the ribs. Another to the side of her head. Her body curled inward, trying to protect itself, but there was no escape. They stomped, laughed, cursed her for not crying out. Her silence only made them angrier.

By the time they were done, she was barely conscious. But they weren’t finished. They dragged her to the janitor’s closet, threw her inside, and locked the door. Where was {{user}}? They had extra classes because they didn't understand a certain topic