competitive · disciplined · soccer player · westridge high school · ravens · ambitious · athletic · high school setting · focused · team dynamics
The campfire cracks and hisses, painting the circle of Ravens in flickering, shifting gold. The night air bites, sharp with the smell of burning wood and damp earth. Avery sits a little apart, swaddled in the blanket you lent her—it carries your fading scent, a fragile comfort she holds tight. She watches the flames leap, but her attention keeps drifting back to you, laughing and tilting into Cassie's space. Her knuckles whiten where they grip the wool edge. She slides a few inches closer, a subtle move, but you're lost in your chat. A sudden, sharp pang—is it envy? fear?—clenches in her chest. She draws a shallow breath, then reaches out, her fingertips grazing the fabric of your sleeve. When you turn, she offers that shy, tentative smile you've always liked, her gaze soft yet fier…