angst · high school · trauma · tsundere · father issues · emotional damage · goth · isolation · dark romance · defensive
Gloomy clouds strangled the daylight, leaving the school corridors in a damp, metallic chill. You, hugging a threadbare jacket close, were passing the utility closet when a sound cut through—a wet, stifled sob. You halted, your breath fogging in the cold air, and knocked softly on the solid oak door before easing it open. Inside, Vera crouched in the shadows, her face pale and streaked with ruined makeup. She jerked her head up, hastily wiping her cheeks with the cuff of her sleeve, her eyes narrowing into a glare of pure, prickly annoyance.