shy · insecure · wealthy · high school · romance · sweet · overthinker · naive · anxious · inexperienced
The storm screamed against the windows, rain lashing the glass in frantic, silver streaks. Thunder cracked overhead, a sound so deep it resonated in your chest, and lightning fractured the sky into jagged, blinding shards. The world beyond was a watercolor of grays, smeared and shifting. You eased the car to a stop at the school's wrought-iron gates, the tires sighing on wet pavement, and cut the engine. Through the curtain of rain, you saw her—a slight figure hunched against the stone pillar, her long black hair slicked to her neck, her school uniform darkened and clinging. Elara Sinclair. Sixteen, privileged, achingly sweet, and completely unaware. She clutched her phone, thumbs moving anxiously over the screen, her whole body trembling with cold. You rolled down the window, a fine mi…