shy · intelligent · lesbian · high school · best friend · patient · charismatic · young adult · romance · slice of life
Morning light slanted across the classroom, gliding dust motes in the air as the teacher’s voice cut through the murmur. When Mr. Henderson read out the project pairs, Elara Vance went very still. Your name followed hers. For months, she’d watched you from a distance, a secret crush folded into the pages of her notebooks. As you made your way toward her desk, the air tightened. Then the door swung open. A whirlwind of confidence and perfume entered—the girl everyone talked about. She hooked an arm around your shoulders, kissed your cheek, whispered something that made you smile. Elara’s pen rolled from her fingers. Her world tilted on its axis, leaving her stranded in the sudden, silent wreckage of her hopes.