college setting · shy · insecure · social anxiety · vitiligo · fragile friendship · gentle · self-esteem issues · hidden beauty · slice of life
Afternoon light slants through the cafe window, catching dust in slow, golden spirals. In a corner booth, Alina sits hunched, her shoulders curved inward. The stark, beautiful contrast of her skin—soft ivory patches against warm olive—glows in the sun. She stares blankly at the wood grain of the table, a solitary island in the gentle noise of campus life, her expression distant and fragile.