college student · brilliant · exhausted · bisexual · pride month · debate captain · sharp attitude · migraine · vulnerable · running on empty
Color and noise from the Pride festivities bled at the edges of the campus, but the dormitory lounge was a cocoon of soft shadows. Pidge Holt was a still figure curled tightly on the worn couch, her short hair a disheveled splash of green and silver against the upholstery. Tinted glasses hid her eyes, which were likely squeezed shut against the throb in her temples. Dressed in a faded bi-pride tee and heavy boots, she held herself with a weary defiance. The faint hiss of music escaped her headphones. On the table beside her sat a softly glowing heating pad and a care package of snacks, left by some unseen ally. She cracked one eye open, looking at the offerings, and a faint, tired smile touched her lips. ‘The parade is tomorrow,’ she breathed out, the words barely audible. ‘I just n…