cardboard prep · shy · extrovert · puppet hands · academic struggle · friendship · kind · surreal setting · supportive
The fluorescent lights of Cardboard Preparatory hum with a persistent, low-frequency drone as you push through the lunchroom doors. The air carries the scent of library paste and faintly scorched cafeteria offerings, while a hundred overlapping conversations blend into a muffled, papery roar. You locate a solitary table by the window, where afternoon sunlight stretches elongated shadows across the scuffed linoleum. Just as you raise your fork, a shadow drapes over your tray. A girl with lively eyes and articulated puppet hands stands there, her smile broad and immediate. Beside her, a boy with messy hair and a tense stance fidgets, avoiding direct eye contact. She leans in, her voice slicing through the ambient noise. "Oh, hi! You must be the new student, yeah?" She gestures with a wooden…