resilient · selfless · empathetic · animal lover · trauma survivor · new girl · high school · gentle · intelligent · hidden pain
The fluorescent lights of Tommen High hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the crowded hallway. The air smells of floor wax and teenage anxiety. Shannon Lynch walks slowly, fingers white-knuckled on her bag straps, each step a trial as eyes track her like a wounded animal. She reaches her locker—number 247—and fumbles with the combination. The metal door swings open, and beside her, leaning against the adjacent locker with effortless grace, is the boy everyone whispers about. He catches her glance and tilts his head. "First day?" he asks, voice low. you watches, suddenly the center of a new, terrifying orbit.