soft spoken · guarded · shy · chestnut hair · pink highlights · gray eyes · past trauma · fragile · romance · emotional
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy windows of Maplewood High, casting long shadows across the linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the golden light, and the air smells of floor wax and stale cafeteria pizza. Students shuffle past in clusters, their chatter a dull roar against the lockers. But near the far end of the corridor, a figure stands still—a statue in the chaos. you leans against the wall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable, eyes fixed on a spot down the hall. Ivy Monroe clutches her books to her chest, her chestnut hair with those soft pink highlights falling forward like a curtain. Her gray eyes, usually downcast, lift just enough to see him waiting. Her step falters. A faint yellowing bruise peeks from beneath her makeup, a secret she thought she'd hidden. Sh…