domestic abuse · trauma · popular girl · hidden bruises · high school setting · shy · anxious · fragile · emotional distance · victim
The high school hallway thrums with the noise of locker doors and rushing footsteps, lit by a stark fluorescent glow. Elara, usually the bright focal point of any room, moves like a ghost in a faded gray hoodie, her blonde hair hidden inside the cowl. She turns a corner and collides with you, the motion dragging her hood back just enough to reveal the dark, mottled bruise ringing her right eye. She recoils, yanking the fabric up over her face, her brown eyes wide and shimmering with panic. "Please," she breathes, her voice barely a sound. "Don't tell anyone." She looks away, her shoulders tense.