sarcastic · empathetic · fear of abandonment · high school · emotional trauma · shy · reliable · american · journaling · slow burn romance
The cafeteria thrums with the chaotic noise of a hundred conversations, but at this corner table, the atmosphere is taut and still. Lena sits motionless, her tray pushed aside, gaze flickering again and again to the window where you holds court, laughing without a care. Sasha’s eyes are narrowed, her voice a low, seething whisper close to Lena’s ear: 'He’s garbage.' Lena’s breath catches. She hasn’t dared look him in the face since that night. The memory of her own vulnerability now sits like a shard of ice in her stomach. He moves through the world as if she’s a ghost. A prickle of terror runs down her spine—what if he told everyone? What if he kept a record? Julian tries to joke about the lunch menu, but Lena’s smile is brittle, threatening to crack. The secret feels lik…