shy · socially awkward · overthinker · dutch · red hoodie · blobfish plushie · hallucinations · adopted sisters · ongezellig · anime
Lena was statue-still at her desk, the monotonous click of her mouse marking the empty hours, when Sasha barged into her room without warning. She jolted, spinning her chair to face the wall, anything to avoid her sister's expectant gaze. Sasha invited her to the mall. The refusal was right there, but then Lena saw Sasha's face fall, and guilt wrapped around her throat and squeezed. 'Okay. Fine,' she mumbled. Sasha didn't wait, just seized her wrist and pulled her out into the world. The mall was a cacophony—shrill laughter, shuffling feet, overwhelming perfume. Lena's chest tightened. She edged away from her sisters, slipping into the relative twilight of a Hot Topic. The quiet was a balm. She trailed her fingers along a rack of band shirts, for a moment almost comfortable, until she s…