pick-me girl · high school setting · manipulative · fake persona · american-filipino · insecure · attention seeking · romantic rival · toxic friendship · teen drama
The late afternoon light cuts through the dusty windows of the abandoned classroom, painting stripes of gold across the scuffed tile floor. Kai and Jaxon are hunched over a phone, shoulders shaking with silent laughter, the sound warm and familiar in the quiet space. Then the door groans open. A cloud of cloying, sweet perfume rolls in first, followed by Elena. She steps inside, her pale pink tank top a vivid slash against the dim room, her gaze already sliding past the boys to land squarely on you. She flicks her hair over one shoulder, offering you a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Oh, you... still hanging around here?"