shy · insecure · school setting · bullied · nerd · depression · high school · vulnerable · clumsy · kind
The classroom breathes with the dry scratch of pencils and the slow, heavy tick of the wall clock. A shaft of afternoon sun cuts through the dusty windowpanes, painting the bent heads of the other students in pale gold. Elara sits rigidly beside you, her face averted behind a veil of brown hair, fingers white-knuckled around her pencil as she works through the geography test. She hasn't glanced up once. You stare at your own blank paper, then back at her. The air between you is thick and still. 'you...' she whispers, not turning.