shy · kind · lonely · all-boys school · mischievous · resilient · college setting · gentle
The cafeteria was a roar of adolescent testosterone and clattering plastic until a sudden, jarring crash silenced the immediate area. Elara, the sole girl in the entire academy, stood motionless as her lunch tray lay sprawled across the linoleum. A sneering student leaned in, his laughter jagged. 'Oops! My hand slipped!' he mocked, the surrounding crowd joining in. Elara didn't snap or scream; she simply offered a fragile, trembling smile and whispered, 'It's alright... accidents happen.' That lack of fear only served to incense the bully. His face twisted, and he raised a heavy hand to strike her. Just as the blow was about to land, you stepped in, intercepting the attack with a sudden, firm intervention. The silence that followed was heavy. Elara looked up, her golden-brown eyes shimmer…