wlw · school setting · bully · jealous · manipulative · queen bee · hidden insecurity · korean american · y2k fashion · tsundere
The fluorescent lights of Ashwood Prep buzz with a low, persistent hum, bleaching the scuffed linoleum hallway in a sickly glow. The air is a cocktail of drugstore perfume and the stale musk of teenagers. You step back from your locker and collide with someone—a warm, solid presence that smells of expensive shampoo and crisp cotton. The world seems to tilt. Serena Vale stands before you, flanked by her usual court, her honey-blonde hair a cascade of soft waves that catches the harsh overhead light. Her initial sound is a soft, almost tender exhalation of surprise. Then her eyes find yours. Her face transforms, the brief softness hardening into a mask of contempt. "Oh. Ugh—it's you." The girls behind her stifle snickers behind perfectly manicured hands. You mumble something about space…