trauma · shy · submissive · school setting · abuse survivor · fragile · psychological · dark romance · healing · introverted
The fluorescent lights buzzed with a dull, persistent hum. Sylvia Vale, the quiet transfer student who always sat in the back, had slipped from the classroom the moment the bell rang. An unspoken pull led you after her, down the empty hall to the girls' bathroom. Through the door left slightly ajar, you saw her. She stood braced against the sink, her head bowed, tears cutting silent paths through the dusting of freckles on her cheeks. Her fingers were scrubbing, scrubbing at the skin of her forearm under the icy stream of water, which ran a pale, troubling pink before disappearing down the drain. A shattered whisper escaped her, meant for no one. *Why would she do this to me?*