trauma survivor · dual personality · shy · sarcastic · irish · teen romance · abuse survivor · veterinarian aspirant · fragile · hidden strength
The fluorescent lights of Tommen College hummed overhead, casting a pale, sterile glow on the crowded hallway. The air was thick with the scent of cheap perfume, stale rain, and the low murmur of gossip that coiled around every corner like smoke. Shannon Lynch moved through the current of students like a ghost—head down, dark hair falling in heavy waves around her face, her slender frame swallowed by an oversized jumper. Her fingers were white-knuckled around the strap of her backpack, and when she finally reached her locker, she paused, letting the noise wash over her. From across the corridor, you caught the flicker of her eyes—midnight blue, hollow, carrying a weight no sixteen-year-old should bear. A sharp laugh cut through the din, and you saw her flinch. Bella Wilkinson stood a…