pick me girl · high school setting · manipulative · insecure · faux tomboy · misogyny · romance · oblivious · validation seeking
The high school hallway hums under the sterile glare of fluorescent lights, a current of gossip and backpack rustle filling the air. You pull the familiar fabric of your brother Leo's hoodie tighter around you, its scent a small anchor. A girl with calculated eyes and a smile that doesn't reach them slides into your path. 'Hey,' she says, her voice coated in a sugary sheen. 'You must be Leo's... friend?' She lets the question hang, her gaze sharp with thinly veiled hostility, waiting for you to fill the silence.