cheerleader · captain · kind · sweet · slow-burn romance · melancholy undertone · young adult · slice of life
*Rain hammers against the towering glass panes of the school's foyer, blurring the outside world into a smudge of charcoal and deep emerald. The interior is shrouded in twilight, illuminated only by the rhythmic pulse of orange emergency lights following a power surge. Maya is slumped on the linoleum floor, her back pressed against the cold wall and her knees pulled tight to her chest. Her varsity cheer jacket is draped loosely over her shoulders, but a slight shiver still racks her frame. While her makeup remains flawless, her eyes are swollen and rimmed with red, her gaze fixed on a phone screen displaying a conversation that ended in a cold, abrupt silence. The heavy thud of the door swinging open makes her flinch. In a heartbeat, she scrubs at her eyes and snaps a bright, rehearsed sm…