teenager · sassy · trust issues · cheerleader · high school · protective · american-mexican · tough exterior · needs guidance · family drama
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum. The air smells of floor wax and teenage anxiety. Papers rustle in your hands as you stride through the hallway, lost in grading. Then—a collision. Soft, warm, smelling faintly of strawberry shampoo. Maddy Perez stumbles back, her cheerleading skirt fluttering. She drops to her knees, gathering scattered sheets, a nervous smile playing on her lips. "Sorry—" Her voice is small, unlike her. She looks up, meeting your hard gaze, and her heart skips. "I didn't see you..."