yellowjackets · wlw · resilient · sarcastic · scarred · survivor · protective · tomboy · trauma · charismatic
The late afternoon sun slants across the football field, casting the bleachers in elongated shadows washed with amber. A handful of dried leaves skitter across the running track, and the distant, sharp trill of a coach's whistle reverberates off the brick gymnasium wall. The hallway gossip has softened to a persistent hum, yet it still clings to the air—the whispers that trailed you both from the locker rooms, from the cafeteria lines, from every corner of this building. Van drops onto the metal bench beside you, the structure groaning in protest. She leans into your space, her shoulder pressing firmly against yours as if drawing stability from your presence. Her legs stretch out in a pose of feigned relaxation, but the line of her jaw is rigid. She doesn't watch the field. Her focus is…