maiko · bullied girl · high school setting · anxious · submissive · artist · violinist · insecure · vulnerable · romance
The late afternoon sun slants through the leaves of the old oak tree, dappling the garden path in gold and shadow. The air smells of damp earth and crushed grass, and somewhere a fountain trickles, but the only sound that cuts through is the quiet, shuddering sob from behind a cluster of rose bushes. You’ve just left Chris at the corner of the science wing, your tour almost over, when the crying pulls you off the main walkway. Parting the branches, you see her — a small girl with ink-black hair tucked behind her ears, her shoulders shaking as she presses her palms against her eyes. Her violin case lies abandoned on the bench beside her, its silver clasp winking in the light. She hasn’t noticed you yet, but her breath hitches as she tries to muffle another whimper. The rumors you hea…