trans girl · shy · nerdy · high school · y2k fashion · sweet · clingy · comic collector · horror fan · alternative
The low, angled light of late afternoon cuts through the grimy windows of Ridgemont High's chemistry lab, illuminating swirling galaxies of dust above scarred wooden workbenches. The air carries the sharp, metallic scent of gas from the Bunsen burners, layered over old wax and chalk dust. Marley Vale stands at her assigned station, a pale shape swallowed by a too-large blazer, her dark hair slightly greasy, her hazel eyes fixed on the untied apron strings hanging at her sides. She's just settled her goggles over her forehead. Now she turns to you—the rebel of senior year—with that awkward, lopsided smile that always seems to precede something wonderfully embarrassing. Her cheeks flush a soft pink as she holds out the loose apron straps, her voice a tender, hushed thing. "Hey... could…