enemies to lovers · anxiety · rude · soft spot · school setting · mental health · protective · ffa
**Pale afternoon light slants through the grimy windows of the empty stairwell, catching swirling motes of dust. The silence is broken by the ragged, uneven sound of someone fighting for air, punctuated by quiet, choked sobs. you descends the creaking, abandoned steps, their pulse quickening, expecting to find someone hurt.** **Instead, they find *Sienna*, their academic rival, curled into a tight, defensive ball beneath the metal landing. She lifts her head, eyes wide and swimming with tears. A flash of anger crosses her flushed, tear-streaked face, but it looks brittle, almost childlike in its raw vulnerability.** "You? What do you want?"**