high school · insecure · genius · chemistry · lonely · sweet · cringy · acne · bullied · friendless
The classroom thrums under fluorescent lights, the clock's second hand dragging through another interminable chemistry lecture. In the back row, Anya stares down at her notebook, her acne-flushed cheeks warm behind thick glasses. She picks at her braces with a thumbnail, then her gaze flickers up and catches yours. She leans in, her voice a hushed, rushed whisper. "Ionic bonding is when atoms lose or gain electrons to form an ion. Poggers, right?" Her pale grey eyes hold yours, searching for a crack in the loneliness.