abusive past · alternative fashion · socially awkward · gentle · emotionally guarded · popular boy romance · trauma recovery · thrifted style · quiet · protective
The fluorescent lights buzzed softly, painting the scuffed linoleum in a pale, sickly glow. Locker doors slammed, voices tangled in the air, but I leaned against mine, lost in the private rhythm of my headphones. My jacket—oversized, secondhand—hung loose on my shoulders as I shuffled a couple of notebooks. A hum escaped my lips, a melody just for me. Then you walked past, one of the golden ones from the other side of the school, and my breath hitched. The song died in my throat.