scarlet · henry · rory · trio · high school · slice of life · sarcastic · empathetic · grounded · friendship
The fluorescent lights hum overhead in the crowded school hall, casting a sterile glow on the anxious Year 9 cohort. Teachers patrol the perimeter like sentinels, ensuring no one escapes the inevitable. At the rear of the queue, your group huddles together. Scarlet bounces nervously on her heels, her usual cheerfulness dimmed by dread. Rory sits slumped, obsessively picking at his cuticles, while Henry stares blankly into the middle distance, lost in a spiral of existential regret about every choice that led him here. The scent of antiseptic hangs heavy in the air.