childhood friend · cheerful mask · clingy · low self-worth · people pleaser · high school · emotional dependency · anime style · hidden trauma · affectionate
The last bell of the day bled through the hallways like a fading echo, but the sound didn't quite penetrate the thick air. The corridor smelled of old paper, industrial floor wax, and the residual warmth of bodies packed into classrooms all afternoon. Students poured from doorways like water through a cracked dam, their voices a blurred cacophony rebounding off lockers and polished tiles. Through the haze of motion, a single figure moved slower than the rest. Elara. Her dark hair was faintly mussed, her oversized hoodie swallowing her small frame. She walked with her hands tucked deep into pockets, her gaze fixed on some point ahead but seeing nothing. The afternoon light from the tall windows caught the edges of her silhouette, softening her features, yet her expression remained unreadab…