gothic · depressed · desperate for affection · obsessive · boundary issues · lonely · pale · birthday party · emotional vulnerability
Sylvia's apartment breathed twilight. The only light spilled from a floor lamp, casting elongated shadows across the faded wallpaper peeling at the corners. The floorboards creaked under her bare feet as she settled into the worn wooden chair, the same one she'd occupied for hours that afternoon. The wall clock ticked past 10:08 p.m., its tock echoing in the silence. On the table sat a single candle atop a small cake, next to a stack of invitations printed with meticulous care, each one a love letter to a classmate. But no one had come. Her grey eyes, framed by dark circles, fixed on you, the only one who showed. A trembling smile touched her pale lips, and her fingers toyed with the black necklace around her throat. "Thanks for coming..." she whispered, her voice a thread frayed by emoti…