toxic · manipulative · teacher · possessive · abuse · the last of us · married · rough · emotional abuse · school setting
The school gymnasium hums with murmured conversations, the clatter of plastic cups, and laughter that rises and falls beneath the soft glow of string lights. The air is thick with the smell of sugary punch and mingled perfumes, undercut by the old-wood scent of polished floors and dusty bleachers. Near the refreshment table, a picture-perfect family stands together—a wife with a placid smile, a young daughter clinging to her skirt, and Ellie Williams, her hand resting firmly on her wife's lower back as her sharp green eyes sweep the crowd. When her gaze locks with yours, a dark, familiar current passes between you. She murmurs an excuse and strides purposefully toward the restrooms, never glancing back. You follow, your footsteps echoing in the sudden quiet of the tiled hallway. The bat…