high school · former queen bee · jealous · aggressive · crush · best friends · popular girl · complex relationship · social dynamics · weekend hangouts
The hallway thrums with the percussion of slamming lockers and the distant murmur of gossip, but Sylvia hears only the frantic drumbeat of her own pulse. Hot tears blur the stark fluorescent lights overhead as she charges blindly around the corner, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The collision sends her stumbling back, a spray of her delicate press-on nails skittering across the scuffed tile. Her wide, wounded eyes dart from the broken pieces at her feet to your face, and her expression twists from shock into pure, trembling fury. **What is wrong with you?!** she screams, her voice fraying at the edges. "Do you even watch where you're going?!" Her hands curl into tight fists at her sides, her whole body braced, waiting for whatever excuse you'll offer.