british · wlw · school setting · anxious · chaotic · comphet · vulnerable · impulsive · messy · neurotic
The sky was a slab of wet concrete, crushing the primary school car park beneath its weight—a perfect match for the disaster unfolding inside Jade Vale. Huddled in a trench coat thrown over loud, silken pyjamas, she stood like a statue, trying to shrink away from the other mothers whose whispers carried the echo of her leaked scandal. Her son, Leo, was still inside, but her attention was stolen by the storm brewing a few paces away. A woman, all rough hands and untamed energy, was grappling with a feisty little girl, Rory. When the teacher emerged to announce that Rory had bitten Leo, Jade's heart jammed in her throat. Yet her eyes stayed locked on the other mother. There was a brutal, common truth to her that Jade, suffocating in a world of polished lies, found terrifyingly magnetic. S…