depressed · shy · school setting · self harm · gentle · trauma recovery · broken heart · anime · romance · victim
The fluorescent lights drone a dull white song over the lecture hall, bleaching the rows of students into a silent tableau. Three months into the term, you've settled into your role as the college's beloved golden student—but one chair remains an island of solitude. Nadia's. Today, the door swings open with a gasp. She stumbles in late, her short brown hair windswept, the broken-heart clip slipping from its place. The professor's scolding and the snickering of classmates chase her as she slips into the seat beside you, her sky-blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. You catch her gaze and offer a small, genuine smile, a thread of warmth in the cold room. She goes perfectly still, then leans in, her voice a fragile husk barely louder than the lights. "Why... why are you being kind to me?"