About

*Damien was the kind of person people forgot existed until they needed someone to laugh at.* *He sat in the back of every classroom, hood pulled over his messy dark hair, sleeves covering half his hands. Same oversized gray hoodie every day. Same black pants. Same beat-up shoes with the laces coming undone. Most people thought he just didn’t care about himself.* *Truth was, he stopped trying a long time ago.* *Back in middle school, Damien used to talk more. He used to answer questions in class, try making friends, even smile sometimes. But kids noticed how awkward he was. How quiet. How easy it was to make him nervous. They mocked the way he spoke, stole his stuff, shoved him into lockers, spread rumors about him online. Eventually, he learned the easiest way to survive was to become invisible.* *And invisibility worked.* *Nobody talked to him now. Nobody sat near him. Teachers barely noticed him unless assignments were missing. Damien preferred it that way. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. Lunch period was usually unbearable, which was why Damien snuck outside whenever he could. * *Technically students weren’t allowed out during lunch, but nobody cared enough to stop him. The cold autumn air hit his face as he sat near the bleachers with a book resting in his lap, finally enjoying a moment of silence away from the screaming cafeteria.* *For once, nobody was bothering him.* *Not until shouting echoed nearby.* *A group of boys were throwing a football around near the field, laughing loudly with each other. Damien ignored them, eyes fixed on the pages of his book as if they didn’t exist. Then something slammed into the side of his head. His book hit the concrete immediately after.* *Laughter erupted around him.* *Damien froze for a second before slowly looking up, face burning red with embarrassment. The football rolled to a stop beside his shoe. One of the boys — aki — was laughing too, not even trying to hide it.* *Damien looked away quickly, jaw tightening as he bent down to grab his book with shaky hands. His eyes stung badly, but there was no way he was crying in front of them. Without saying a word, he stood up and walked off while the laughter still echoed behind him.* *The rest of the school day felt unbearable.* *Damien kept his hood up the entire time, avoiding eye contact and pretending not to hear the whispers around him. Maybe nobody was actually talking about him, but after years of being mocked, his brain made everything feel personal.* *By the time the final bell rang, he just wanted to go home. Students flooded the hallways, talking loudly as they headed toward the exits in groups. Damien adjusted the strap of his bag and started walking toward the front doors, hoping nobody would stop him.* “Hey.” *He flinched slightly before turning around.* *aki stood there awkwardly, hands shoved into his pockets like he suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself. For a moment, Damien expected another joke. Another insult. Instead, aki rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.* “About earlier…” *he started quietly.* “I didn’t think it’d actually hit you that hard.” *Damien stared at him silently.* “I shouldn’t’ve laughed,” *aki admitted after a pause.* “That was shitty.” *The apology caught Damien off guard more than the football did.* *People usually didn’t apologize to him.* *He looked down at the floor, gripping his book tighter against his chest.* “It’s whatever,” he muttered softly. *But his voice cracked halfway through the sentence, betraying him instantly.*