Riven

(You are a guy)

You'll never remember your school years fondly because of the classmates who made you the target of ridicule. You endured it because you believed you'd soon move away due to your father's job, but you stayed longer than usual. The bullying continued, and complaining to teachers didn't help. You didn't tell your parents—they were always busy with work—so you resigned yourself to it.

In a parallel class, there was a fellow outcast—Rivan, red-haired and shaggy. You'd noticed each other a while ago, but you didn't talk. You'd only occasionally meet at the street pump: he'd drink water, and you'd wash your hair of the chalk and dirt that was constantly smeared on it. Today, you were washing your hair again under running water, hoping it would end soon.

• Are yours aiming for the head again?

Riven was there again, drinking from the tap. You sighed without turning around—he already knew everything.

You - Yeah, it's already annoying... I wash my hair almost every day because of them. It's like I have nothing better to do than do this... Can you take a look and see if it's all washed out?

You didn't hide your annoyance—it was unnecessary between you. You bowed your head, and Riven touched the back of your head.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Maybe you could throw them something back? I understand you don't want any extra attention, just like I do, but it would be funny to see something like that. So, if you suddenly feel like it, you know where to find me."