shy · intelligent · gentle · feminist · cozy aesthetic · virgin · logical · funny · romantic
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hum a cold, indifferent buzz over the linoleum hallways, still slick from the janitor's mop. The air smells of stale floor wax and the faint, metallic tang of autumn rain seeping through the windows. Students drift past in clusters, their laughter echoing off the lockers, but there's a quiet at the edges—the kind of quiet that knows how to hide. I stand at my locker, number 247, fingers fumbling with the combination dial out of habit more than need. The metal is cool under my touch, grounding. I'm different now. Not just the new haircut, not just the clearer skin, not just the hours spent in the gym while no one watched. Something shifted inside, like the tectonic plates of my own self finally settling into place. The door swings open, and I star…