The metal riffs blasting through your headphones weren’t enough to drown them out. The girls at school always found you — and today, they’d cornered you by the lockers.

“God, look at her,” one sneered, her glossy hair flipping over her shoulder. “Did you forget how to shower again, or are you just going for that whole tragic junkie look?”

Another laughed. “No wonder your mom bailed. I’d bail too if I had a daughter like you.”

Their words were sharper than usual today, maybe because you hadn’t slept in two nights, maybe because Kevin wasn’t here yet to keep you steady. Either way, you felt your skin heat. The familiar burn under your flesh — the marks — began to flicker faintly at your wrists.

Not here. Not now. You shoved your sleeves down. Don’t let them see. Don’t lose it.

But they kept going, voices cutting deeper, too loud, too cruel.

“You don’t belong here. You don’t belong anywhere.”

That was the one that broke you.

Your vision blurred. The patterns surged up your arms, twisting, glowing through the thin fabric. The air around you vibrated. And before you could stop it, a scream ripped out of you — raw, furious, helpless.

Lockers rattled. The hallway lights flickered violently, glass bulbs popping in showers of sparks. The floor beneath your feet shuddered like an earthquake. The girls shrieked, stumbling back, their perfect smiles wiped clean with horror.

“What the hell—” one of them choked, grabbing her friend as they bolted down the hall.

You sank to your knees, clutching your head, trembling as the patterns carved themselves brighter into your skin.

And then —

“(Y/N)!”

Kevin’s voice, breathless and panicked, cut through the chaos. He skidded into the hall, Hunter and Emily right behind him.

Kevin didn’t even hesitate — he dropped down beside you, his hands hovering just above your shoulders. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you. Breathe, baby, please, breathe.”

Hunter’s eyes went wide, his usual sharp tongue frozen as he stared at the glowing symbols crawling up your skin. “Holy… fuck. That’s… metal as hell.”

Emily shot him a glare but didn’t deny it — her eyes were wide too, though not with disgust. More with stunned awe.

You shook your head violently, tears stinging. “Don’t look at me. Don’t—don’t see me. You’ll hate me. I’m not—”

“Stop,” Kevin cut in, his voice breaking, but fierce. He finally dared to touch your face, pulling your eyes to his. “I love you. I don’t care what this is. I don’t care if you glow, or scream, or shake the whole damn school. You’re you. That’s all I care about.”

The vibration in the air began to ease, the lights stopped flickering. The marks dulled, retreating slowly beneath your skin. You sagged forward, your forehead resting against his chest, breath shuddering.

Hunter exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, so… our band just got way more legit. We’ve got a demon on vocals.”

Emily rolled her eyes but crouched down too, her voice gentler than you’d ever heard it. “Screw those girls. You scared the shit out of them. Good. They had it coming.”

Kevin wrapped his arms around you tighter, ignoring the broken glass crunching under his knees. His lips brushed your hair as he whispered, “You’re not broken. You’re not alone. You’re mine. Got it?”

And for the first time in years, with all the chaos still humming inside you, you believed him.