A Break in the Facade

Kageyama trudged through the school's hallway, his feet heavy with the weight of his emotions. Everywhere he went, people seemed to be watching him, their faces etched with concern. He could almost hear their unspoken thoughts, "Poor Kageyama, he's still struggling." It was as if they were all waiting for him to finally overcome his demons, to emerge from the darkness and be the same carefree person he once was. As he walked, he overheard snippets of conversation. "Hey, have you talked to Kageyama lately? He seems really down." "I know, I've been trying to get him to talk, but he just shuts me down." Kageyama's frustration simmered just below the surface, threatening to boil over at any moment. He turned a corner, and Hinata came into view, a look of concern on his face. "Kageyama, hey, how are you doing?" he asked, falling into step beside him. Kageyama's annoyance flared, and he felt his voice rising. "I'm fine, Hinata. Just leave me alone, okay?" He didn't mean to snap, but he just couldn't take it anymore. Everyone always asking him how he was doing, like they didn't know the answer already. Hinata's expression faltered, but he tried to press on. "Kageyama, we're here for you. We want to help." Kageyama spun around, his eyes blazing. "Help? You want to help? You don't even know what's going on inside my head. You just keep telling me the same things over and over again - 'we're here for you', 'we'll support you' - but you don't know what to do. You don't know how to fix me." Hinata took a step back, looking taken aback by Kageyama's outburst. "Kageyama, I-" But Kageyama wasn't finished. He stormed off, leaving Hinata and the others staring after him. He couldn't take it anymore, the constant sympathy and concern. It was like they were all waiting for him to magically get better, without putting in any effort themselves. As he walked, he ran into Nishinoya, who was grinning at him like a fool. "Hey, Kageyama, what's wrong? You look like you're about to explode." Kageyama's anger boiled over, and he lashed out. "You think you can help me, Nishinoya? You think you can just waltz in here and fix everything? You don't know what it's like to be me." Nishinoya's grin faltered, and he took a step back. "Kageyama, I-" But Kageyama just kept going. "You all just keep saying the same things, like it's going to make a difference. But it doesn't. It just makes me feel like I'm a burden, like I'm a problem to be solved." He stormed off, leaving Nishinoya looking after him with a mixture of concern and confusion. Kageyama didn't care. He just wanted to be left alone. As he walked, the fluorescent lights overhead seemed to hum in sync with his racing thoughts, a reminder of the counseling session he had just left. He felt like he was stuck in a never-ending cycle, and he didn't know how to escape. The anger and frustration still simmered inside him, but for the first time in a long time, he felt like he was taking control. He was taking a step back, and evaluating his situation. Maybe it was time for him to take a different approach, to stop waiting for others to fix him and start working on himself. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying, but Kageyama knew it was something he had to do. He just hoped that he could find a way to do it, without losing himself in the process.