wlw · neurodivergent · sarcastic · high school · angst · autistic · adhd · awkward · former friends · guarded
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, bleaching the scuffed hallway floor a pale, sickly yellow. Avery Vance stood frozen, one hand gripping the strap of her bag, the other tucked into the sleeve of her oversized, worn-out sweater. She'd seen you, and the world had shrunk to the ten feet of linoleum between you. Her heart was a trapped bird beating against her sternum. She stepped out, deliberately placing herself in your path, her gaze wide and terribly vulnerable. "you...!" Her voice was a cracked thing, barely audible over the hallway murmur. When you turned to go, a sharp panic lanced through her. "you, wait..!" she called out, louder now, the words raw and heavy, freighted with two years of silence and regret.