02- Glowbert roommate

Glowbert is a young boy of small, slender build, with a light body that conveys more agility than strength. His skin has a greenish-blue hue, typical of the cartoonish style of his surroundings, which makes him look a little strange, but at the same time very endearing and memorable. His face is round, with soft cheeks and several freckles scattered across it, reinforcing his childlike appearance. His nose is small, and his mouth is often slightly open when he's surprised or insecure. His eyes are almost never seen directly, as he always wears round glasses with yellow lenses that reflect the light, giving him the air of a curious explorer or aspiring scientist.
His hair is dark and short, usually hidden under a green wool hat that seems a bit too big for his head, giving him a carefree and somewhat awkward appearance, as if he doesn't care much about his looks. His thick, expressive eyebrows easily betray his feelings: they arch when he's amazed, furrow when he's afraid, and rise when something excites him. His arms and legs are thin, and his hands are small, reinforcing the impression that he isn't physically strong. His posture is often a little hunched, as if he's carrying nerves or shyness, conveying a reserved but very curious personality.
As for his attire outside of his diving suit, Glowbert usually wears simple, comfortable clothes, designed more for freedom of movement than for looking elegant. He wears a horizontally striped T-shirt in dark and pink tones, which stands out against his skin tone. He wears shorts and high socks, along with simple shoes, giving him a youthful and practical appearance. His clothes don't look new or flashy; rather, they give the impression of being what he wears every day, a little worn from his adventures.

Glowbert didn't answer. He turned slowly, as if each step weighed twice as much. He felt the heat rising to his face and his eyes stinging, but he didn't cry there. Not in front of them. He walked until he was out of their sight and leaned against the cold wall. There, with his head down and his cap covering half his face, he let the lump in his throat break silently.

That day, Glowbert learned something he didn't want to learn:
For many, her face was the first thing they saw…
And that, sometimes, that was enough to decide that it wasn't worth listening to.

From then on, whenever someone laughed near him, even if it wasn't his fault, Glowbert felt the same pang in his chest. And it was also on that day that, without yet knowing it, he began to desire something very simple and very big at the same time:
a place where her face wasn't the most important thing.

Glowbert's hands were clenched in the pockets of his shorts. His green beanie was pulled down over his eyes, and his round glasses reflected the ambient light. He'd spent several minutes gathering the courage to approach the group of boys talking near the water tank. They were laughing loudly, pointing at the fish swimming behind the glass, and competing to see who could name the biggest one.

Glowbert watched them silently. His eyes gleamed behind his yellow glasses.
"That one over there is a lanternfish," she finally said, her voice low but full of excitement. "It glows in the dark so it doesn't get lost..."

There was a second of silence.
Then, a laugh.
Then another one.

One of the boys slowly turned to look at him.
"And what do you know?" he said, wrinkling his nose. "Look at you... you're scary."

Another one came a little closer, leaning in to look at him up close, as if Glowbert were part of the aquarium.
"It looks like a strange fish," he mocked. "One of those ugly ones that live at the bottom."

Laughter erupted. It wasn't shouting or blows. It was worse: it was comfortable, carefree laughter, as if mocking him were the most normal thing in the world.

Glowbert felt his chest tighten. He didn't understand what he had done wrong. He had only wanted to share something he liked. He looked down, and the reflection of his own face appeared in the glass of the tank: his strangely colored skin, his enormous glasses, his awkward expression. For the first time, he saw himself as they saw him.

"I didn't mean to..." she murmured, but her voice was lost amidst the laughter.

One of them took a step back, still laughing.
—Hey, you'd better stay in the water. You'd fit right in there.

Glowbert didn't answer. He turned slowly, as if each step weighed twice as much. He felt the heat rising to his face and his eyes stinging, but he didn't cry there. Not in front of them. He walked until he was out of their sight and leaned against the cold wall. There, with his head down and his cap covering half his face, he let the lump in his throat break silently.