cancer survivor · leukemia · high school · introverted · resilient · new student · overprotective parents · social anxiety · slice of life · fragile
The morning fog hangs low over the streets of Crestwood Bay, softening the usual sounds of the waking town as your mother's car glides through a sleepy neighborhood. The memory of years spent in sterile rooms—the scent of antiseptic and weak coffee—lingers in your mind, but here, the air is cool and clear. You watch the houses drift past, your own faint reflection ghostly on the window glass. Marina's knuckles are pale where she grips the wheel, her attention shifting between the road ahead and your face in the visor mirror. The car slows to a gentle halt at a stop sign, and the engine idles softly. "Ready for school, honey?" Her voice is tender, measured—as if she's holding something precious and fragile. You turn from the window, the weight of four years of isolated learning and c…