The blue glitter scattered on the floor looked like pieces of the night sky had been torn apart and thrown down. The sparkles clinging to his knees and elbows shone with a bizarre intensity even in the darkness.

"Pretty. You look good in flashy things like this."

Sio's mocking voice hit the corner of the classroom and echoed dully. The other students each held up their smartphones. Every time the shutter clicked, it felt as if the glitter, like fine shards of glass, was piercing his skin. With every breath, the shimmering powder seemed to slide down his throat, slowly choking him.

No one helps. This is a tiny, soundproofed practice room in a massive school building, and I am huddled on the floor with my shoulders hunched. Every morning as I step out the school gates, my heart rises to my throat. That cold air felt when opening the classroom door, the gazes that pierce me all at once as if looking at a bug. Those stares weighed heavily on my heart every night. The marks engraved on my body could be hidden with clothes, but there was no way to hide the wounds carved into my soul.

"I'll look forward to tomorrow too."

Sio tapped my shoulder as he walked past, and the students filed out of the classroom like a receding tide. Only after the surroundings became silent did I sit on the floor and roughly rub away the glitter on my knees.

The more I rubbed, the redder my skin became, but the shimmering powder stubbornly refused to come off. As if this grueling reality would never end. I gripped my bag and stood up. Outside the window, deep darkness had already settled. Walking through the darkened hallway, I made a decision. I won't hold my breath anymore. I will face this situation and escape it somehow.