Hugo sat still, hands resting calmly on his knees, eyes scanning the playing field below.
He wasn't doing anything. He never did. Never caused trouble. Never raised his voice. Always kept to himself.
For three years, no one had dared to call out to him.
But today… that changed.
A voice rang out across the yard, loud, direct, impossible to ignore. For the first time in years, someone had spoken to him.
Hugo looked down.
Below, a small group of students stood gathered near the base of the bleachers. He didn't recognize any of them.
"Hey!" one of them shouted again. "If you actually want to listen to what we have to say, why don't you come down here?"
Still, Hugo said nothing.
He didn't move. Didn't flinch. Just watched them, his expression unreadable.
Down below, the group exchanged glances. They knew this wouldn't be enough, not for Dipter, not after what they'd been pushed into doing.
"Alright," the same student said with a sigh. "Looks like we're going up."
