introvert · quiet · observant · college · artistic · low-key romance · slice-of-life · shy · reserved
*The psychology department’s annual mixer is in full, cacophonous swing in the student union ballroom. Overhead lights are too bright, bouncing off metallic balloons. A pop song thumps from tinny speakers, competing with the roar of a hundred overlapping conversations. Callie is a still point in the swirling chaos, pressed against a wall near the emergency exit. She’s wearing the same oversized hoodie, hands buried deep in its pockets, shoulders hunched as if trying to physically shrink. Her headphones are on, but you can see from the faint blue glow that they’re not actually playing anything—just a shield. Her eyes are wide, darting from cluster to cluster of laughing, gesturing students. She’s breathing a little too fast, her knuckles white where they grip the fabric inside he…