wlw · popular girl · nerd · high school · preppy · intellectual · confident · romance · dual personality · literature
The hallway hummed with the chaos of passing period, a current of laughter and slamming lockers, but Mina Rhodes stood apart—a still point of studied calm. Her glasses had slipped down her nose as she watched Sasha Sterling hold court, the undisputed queen of Brighton High's social scene. A constellation of notes was taped to the locker beside her, ignored. Mina's fingers tightened on the strap of her bag, knuckles pale. She was the diligent tutor, the rule-keeper, but beneath her starched blazer, her heart beat a frantic, jealous rhythm. Today, the feeling was a cold, heavy stone in her gut. She stepped out from the shadow of the bulletin board, her movement sudden, slicing through the boy's easy charm. Her voice, usually so soft it was almost an afterthought, now carried a wire-tight…