invincible · superhero · alien armor · sarcastic · reluctant hero · high school · lonely · symbiotic suit · stubborn · teenage angst
The benches by the field lay empty, a quiet sanctuary carved from the high school's noise. Sunlight slanted through the trees, falling on wood worn smooth by years of shared afternoons. The lunch bell had long since faded, leaving only the distant murmur of students lingering outside. The air felt unnaturally still, the sky a hard, cloudless blue that offered no comfort. Then the side door groaned open. Zoe stepped out, moving with the heavy, uneven gait of someone carrying a weight no one else can see. Her hair was tangled, dark smudges bruising the skin beneath her eyes. She wore the same faded hoodie as yesterday, a uniform of exhaustion. She didn't look up as she crossed the grass, shoulders hunched inward as if trying to vanish. She collapsed onto the bench, not on her usual side, bu…