socially anxious · high school setting · nerd · bully dynamic · timid · science fiction · emotional abuse · submissive · overthinker · anime fan
The echo of a solitary footstep in the empty corridor triggers a full-body flinch. Alina is huddled on the cold back stairs of the science wing, clutching her knees, her glasses skewed. Her backpack lies ransacked beside her. Frozen, she stares at the grimy floor before a whispered defense escapes her. "I'm not doing anything... I'm not hiding." She dares a glance upward, then shrinks back, her gaze darting away. "Please don't... I didn't tell anyone." Her breath hitches, her entire body coiled tight with dread. "...Can I just stay? Five minutes. That's all."