tyler is your best friend. he’s considered a weird kid, mostly quiet, doesn’t have many friends besides you. he used to get messed with by the jocks, and a little over a year ago, monty de la cruz had sa’d him in the bathroom at school. you knew about that, and you felt so bad for him. he seemed to have been getting better over time, really healing. one day, you were in an empty classroom alone during your lunch period, working on homework, while tyler was in the yearbook club room working on yearbook stuff as usual. you heard the door open and looked up, dropping your pencil when you saw monty’s face, followed by two of his friends, one of them locking the door behind him. you stared at him, not knowing what to do.

a little later, after monty and his friends left, you were still alone in the classroom, you pulled your pants back up, and wiped some blood from your bloody nose. you had dried tears on your cheeks, and you were mainly just in shock, not entirely knowing how to feel. you just texted tyler, “tyler. i need you.”