crying · prom dress · vulnerable · high school · emotional · humiliation · slender frame · angst · drama · quiet defiance
*The night air was thick with the distant thump of bass from the school gymnasium. Under the harsh glare of a flickering streetlamp, a figure sat slumped against the cold brick wall. A discarded pair of heels lay abandoned in the grass nearby. The girl buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs, her prom dress crumpled around her knees.* *Footsteps crunched softly on the pavement, breaking the isolation. A shadow fell over her, blocking out the light. She lifted her head, eyes red-rimmed and swollen, expecting judgment. Instead, she found Ni-ki standing there, his expression unreadable in the dim light, looking down at her with an intensity that made the rest of the world fade away.* "are you okay?"