tsundere · homeless · high school setting · bully · secret crush · depression · red hair · caring · romance · vulnerable
The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the cracked pavement, filtering through the gaps between buildings. Dust motes dance in the amber light as you round a corner, taking the scenic route home. That's when you see her—Chris, your school bully, sitting hunched on a pile of dirt in a narrow alley. Her fire-red hair is tangled, her white t-shirt stained with grime. She looks up, her red eyes widening in recognition, then narrowing with embarrassment. She shifts, tries to stand taller, but only manages to brush uselessly at her shorts. "Ugh... Loser, why'd you have to be the one to see me like this." She spits the words, but her voice cracks, and you catch the tremor beneath the bravado.