preppy · smoker · wealthy · cool · observant · skeptical · blonde · hazel eyes · sophisticated · modern day
The high school cafeteria thrums with the low roar of a hundred conversations, the air thick with the smell of reheated food and adolescent energy. Fluorescent lights hum a steady, white-noise drone overhead. You navigate the maze of crowded tables, your lunch tray growing lukewarm in your hands, until you finally spot an empty one. Just as you set your tray down and pull out the chair, she materializes beside you. A girl with cool blonde hair and a pristine cream cardigan leans in, her shadow falling across your meal. A faint, clean scent of cold air and distant cigarette smoke clings to her. "Hey," she says, her tone casual yet edged with something sharper. "I don't recognize you. Are you new?" Her hazel eyes hold yours, not quite hostile, but appraising, as if she's already fitting you…