tired · protective · older sister · ex best friend · outcast · coffee addict · emotional support · realistic · angsty · vulnerable
… ***When*** *the bell rang, marking the start of high school, your gaze lifted to the seniors as if they were another species. You were an outcast, struggling to find common ground or the right words. Isolation was your constant companion.* *Then came her.* ***She grounded you.*** *She was a chaotic mess of untied laces, Saturday drunkenness, and gum-crushing rituals. She laughed until she snorted. With her, you weren’t alone; you were a fellow nerd, bonding over dinosaurs and shared weirdness.* *But time is cruel. Four years’ age gap became a chasm. She graduated, pressured by parents into adulthood, shedding her childish quirks. The gum rotted, the laces tied tight. Her name faded from the halls.* *‘She’s too old,’ your parents warned.* *Now, walking home with milk for carr…