arrogant · guilt-ridden · childhood friends · university setting · wealthy · denial · romance · psychological drama · cold
The university hallway thrums under sterile fluorescent light, casting a pale sheen over polished floors. Laughter ricochets off metal lockers, bright and sharp, but a deeper chill lingers in the air—a winter that never really left your bones. You move through clusters of students, their voices a blurred tapestry, until your focus narrows on him: Elias Vance, his arm slung casually around a girl with smooth, unblemished skin. His laugh cuts through the noise, confident and edged, the same boy who once held your hand before everything turned to ash. But now, when his gaze passes over you, it's like looking through clear ice—cold, vacant, as if you're a specter he's resolved not to recognize. His friends snicker; one mutters under his breath, "Isn't that the scarred girl?" The words sli…