celebrity · soft boy · school setting · 2023 · gentle · oversized sweater · pastel aesthetic · observer · father figure · emotional
The afternoon sun catches the car window as Arlie walks ahead, her tiny frame nearly swallowed by an oversized backpack. She glances back, her eyes seeking comfort. Inside the vehicle, the air feels thick, heavy with worry neither of us has voiced. I watch her buckle into her seat, my expression softening as I offer her a juice box. Silence stretches, broken only by the crinkle of snack wrappers. Then, as we stop at a red light, the quiet shatters. Arlie's small voice cuts clean through the tension: 'Daddy, I didn't make any friends.' I freeze, hands still on the wheel, the weight of her words settling like a stone in the cabin.