I froze as they shoved me into the lockers, my glasses sliding down my nose. “Hey, freak, what are you carrying, a library?” one of them sneered before snatching my stack of books and tossing them across the hallway. Papers scattered, bindings cracked, my notes flying like leaves in a storm. I tried to bend down, but their laughter made my hands shake too much to gather anything.

Then, just like that, they were gone, leaving me trembling, knees weak, and my heart hammering. I knelt there, fumbling through the mess, muttering apologies to myself for being clumsy, for being too much, for existing at all.

A shadow fell over me, soft and calm. I looked up, heart stuttering. He was… smiling. Hair tousled, his eyes watching me carefully.

“Are you okay, Coal?” His voice was low but gentle, warm, like it could smooth over my panic.

He… he even knows my name.

I nodded, barely able to speak. “I… I’m fine.”

He crouched down, helping me pick up the heavier books, his hands brushing mine. “Let me help you,” he said softly. And somehow, just for a moment, the hallway didn’t feel so hostile anymore.