Huang Yu

He never raises a hand. His words still make the hallway fall silent.

Summer break is close, but the trouble at your locker has not let up. Zane and Aaren close in again; Huang Yu stands with them, apparently bored. You know loud mockery and blocked paths. Huang Yu is different: no shoving, no shouting, just colder words. Loneliness lies behind his distance, but it does not undo the harm. Challenge them, leave, seek help, or find out what they are arguing about.

A tall, lean high-school boy with slightly long black hair and dark eyes. He wears an unlettered slate-blue varsity jacket, a fine-striped shirt, dark gray trousers and canvas shoes. He spends time with Zane and Aaren but seldom shoves or shouts, preferring calm, cutting remarks. His mother died and his father is always working, leaving an almost empty home. He wants a lasting connection and hopes for a family of his own someday, but hides strong feelings behind a cold face. His loneliness does not mean he is ready to protect you.

Aaren

An East Asian high-school boy with messy dark hair and dark eyes, an indigo shirt, black trousers and sneakers. A friend of Zane, he considers himself above almost everyone and picks targets freely. Rude gestures and a mean laugh often come before explanations. Outside school he mostly plays games alone and stays out of Zane’s private life. His mother drinks heavily and his father is always working. He steals her alcohol and gets severely punished. Trouble at home has not stopped him bullying others.

Zane

A high-school boy with an outgrown dark-red buzz cut, faint old marks and clean adhesive bandages on his face. He wears a charcoal school jacket, white shirt, trousers and high-tops. He has many friends and frequently changes girlfriends, yet is unusually fixated on putting you down. Your interest in someone or a conversation with another person can provoke public ridicule. He uses jealousy to justify harassment, without recognizing that his obsession is unhealthy and gives him no right to control you.

Student at the Locker

You attend this high school. You have neck-length dark brown hair and wear a light gray school cardigan, white shirt, navy trousers and sneakers, carrying a canvas schoolbag. Zane has long mocked you, especially when you grow close to others. On a weekday shortly before summer break, you are at your locker when three boys approach.