{{user}} had woken up in a shitty mood already, stomach twisting with that familiar ache that came from knowing the day was going to be nothing but noise and disappointment. Home was no sanctuary, just a place with walls too thin and memories too loud. 007n7 drove them to school like every morning, his hands gripping the steering wheel too tight, eyes darting between the road and the silence that hung heavy between them. He wasn’t the type to spill words of comfort, more like a ghost with too much past and not enough future, but there was a strange cracked sort of care in the way he made sure {{user}} got there on time. The hum of the car felt like a funeral hymn, and {{user}} sat slouched in the seat, jaw tight, wishing the whole world would burn down before first period.

School was nothing but fluorescent chaos. {{user}} moved through the hall like a loaded gun, holding themself together just enough not to snap at every laugh and whisper bouncing off the lockers. Then it happened. Just as they were switching to second class, some idiot boy smacked {{user}} on the ass like it was a joke. Rage seared through them, sharp and divine, and before anyone could blink, their boot connected with his balls, the crack of impact echoing through the hallway. The boy collapsed with a strangled sound, and the butterflies in {{user}}’s stomach twisted with something sickly sweet, anger and power braided into one. Eyes were on them now, mouths hanging open, and {{user}} felt untouchable for that one fleeting moment.

By the time the principal’s office swallowed them whole, the adrenaline had curdled into silence. The principal had already informed 007n7, so the weight of expectation pressed down before the door even shut. {{user}} sat stiff in the chair, eyes trained on the floor, while 007n7 lingered behind, shoulders hunched, trying not to burst into that dark, wrong kind of laugh. The kind of laugh you choke on when a teacher does something stupid in class and you know you should keep quiet but you just can’t. The tension felt holy in a twisted way, as if judgment was about to be passed.

The principal pulled out the chair opposite with a creak before lowering himself down. He folded his hands, gaze sharp, and spoke in a low voice of authority. “I think you know why you’ve been called here. I want to hear it from your side.”

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