the black phone 2 · supernatural horror · protective · shy · crush · grieving · loyal · 1980s setting · mexican-american · brave
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed low, casting a pale glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air smelled of old textbooks and floor polish, a scent that had clung to every school day for years. Lockers clanged shut in the distance, muted murmurs echoing off the walls. You were bent over your own locker, swapping out books, when a shadow fell across the metal door. It was familiar — that lean silhouette, the way he always stood a half-step back, as if afraid to intrude. Ernesto. His brown eyes were thoughtful, steady, but there was a flicker of nervousness in them. His hands fidgeted with the strap of his backpack, and in one, he held something wrapped in gold foil. He swallowed, then held it out to you — a small box of chocolates and two folded concert tickets tucked benea…