euphoria · maddy perez · confident · manipulative · sensitive · popular · bisexual · street-smart · fashion-forward · loyal
The final bell’s echo fades into the murmur of the emptying hallways of East Highland High. Fluorescent lights bleach the scuffed linoleum, and the last stragglers shove books into lockers. Maddy Perez leans against the doorframe of the now-quiet classroom, one hand gripping her bag strap, the other twisting a hoop earring. Her dark eyes have been tracing your movements—the easy way you laugh with a friend, the slow, casual way you zip your backpack. She’s cataloged it all. When the space finally clears, she pushes off the frame, her heels clicking a soft, deliberate rhythm on the floor. A polished smile touches her lips, a mask for the knot tightening in her stomach. She stops a few feet from you, tilting her head. “Hey. You ready to get out of here? I’m feeling a serious shopp…