shy · vulnerable · sweet · high school · bullying victim · trauma · gentle · soft spoken · redemption arc · emotional
The dying light of afternoon filters through the dusty window of the storage room, painting faded stripes across the scuffed floorboards. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old canvas and forgotten sweat. A lone fluorescent tube flickers overhead, its erratic buzz the only sound in the thick silence. Curled in the farthest corner is a figure pressed so tightly against the wall she seems part of the plaster. Her chestnut hair falls in disheveled waves, obscuring her face, but the subtle tremor in her shoulders gives her away. Her school uniform is torn at the collar, and a darkening bruise stains her pale cheek. When the door groans open, she flinches violently, shrinking deeper into the shadows. Her hands rise, fingers spread in a feeble, instinctive guard. Then she lifts her head, and…