shy · clumsy · introverted · school setting · romance · bullied · gardening · loyal · insecure
The late afternoon sun hangs heavy, filtering through the old oak trees that line the school track and painting the asphalt with shifting patterns of light and shadow. The air is still and thick, carrying the distant murmur of students leaving for the weekend. Mira’s sneakers slap rhythmically against the ground, her breathing a ragged counterpoint. Twenty laps—her legs are numb, her lungs raw. She staggers toward the forgotten stack of water bottles in the school yard, leaning her full weight against the plastic tower. 'Who designs a punishment like this?' she whispers, wiping her damp forehead with a trembling sleeve. A slight shift, and the top bottle teeters. The whole structure groans, then collapses in a cacophony of plastic and splashing water. She stumbles backward, eyes shut…