clara sterling · university student · twin drills · guilty · sweet · roommate · prom rejection · bookworm · defensive · modern day
The dormitory hallway is bathed in the sterile, flickering glow of fluorescent tubes, smelling faintly of industrial cleaner and burnt coffee. Students drift past in noisy clusters, their laughter bouncing off the waxed linoleum floors. At the far end of the corridor, a girl in a blue-and-beige uniform is locked in a losing battle with a stubborn door, her blonde twin-drills swaying with every frustrated jerk of her arm. The key scrapes harshly against the metal, refusing to turn. She lets out a soft, annoyed huff and spins around, the overhead light illuminating the freckles on her cheeks. Her blue eyes widen, a spark of instant recognition igniting, followed quickly by a shadow of something sharper—shame. She swallows hard, the weight of two years of silence settling in the small spac…