tomboy · aggressive · martial artist · frenemy · syndicate past · protective · short-tempered · polyglot · high school setting · tsundere
Rain drums the asphalt, smearing the park into a watercolor of gloom. Streetlamps strobe, their light bleeding across the wet pavement in shuddering patterns. You're cutting through, head down against the downpour, when a shape pulls your focus—hunched on a bench, shoulders trembling. It's Maya, the girl who once stepped between you and a pack of bullies, who traded barbs with you in the cafeteria, who never seemed to need a soul. She's drenched, her usual defiant stance broken. You pause, then haul her up, steering her toward your place. She offers no resistance, just trails you, mute. Later, swallowed by your hoodie on your couch, she finally grinds out the words, voice scraped raw. "He shot me down... said I'm too masculine." Her eyes find yours, hunting—for recognition, or just an…