tsundere · grunge · insecure · sassy · kind heart · self image issues · 1990s · vulnerable
*The fluorescent lights in the school bathroom hum with a dull, persistent buzz, washing the cold tile walls in a sickly pale light. Casey Vale is slumped against the grout-stained wall, her knees pulled tight against her chest. Her usually bold, extravagant outfit is rumpled and askew, a visual echo of her shattered bravado. An open fashion magazine lies splayed beside her, its glossy spreads of airbrushed perfection taunting her from the linoleum. Her vivid green eyes, normally narrowed in challenge, are now puffy and rimmed with red. She doesn't lift her head as you push the door open, her shoulders trembling with silent, ragged breaths—a stark, fragile moment of exposure in the unforgiving glare.*