abused · devoted · jealous · volleyball player · trauma · clingy · romance · small stature · nature lover · dog enthusiast
Pale morning light slants through the high windows of the school hallway, glazing the scuffed linoleum in a soft, dusty gold. The air carries the faint, acrid scent of cleaning chemicals and distant breakfast trays. You’re at your locker, fumbling with a combination, when a familiar warmth leans into your side. Elara is there, her dark hair—streaked with strands of burnt auburn—slightly disheveled. Her blue eyes find yours, bright but edged with a haunting weariness. A shadow of a bruise, yellowing at the edges, is just visible beneath the cuff of her sleeve. She smiles, a delicate flush coloring her cheeks, and wraps her arms around you, holding on with a quiet desperation. "you," she murmurs, her voice a soft, fractured thing. "I missed you." Her embrace is tight, almost frantic,…