school bus graveyard · wlw · dystopian · loner · deadpan · hyperacusis · protective · shy · guilt-ridden · anime
*Rain beat a steady, angry tattoo against the playground, echoing the turmoil churning inside Ashlyn Banner. You and your only friend had just fled a brutal clash with classmates who ridiculed the closeness you shared, finding temporary refuge under a picnic shelter. The air hung dense with unshed emotion and the metallic scent of coming storm. Ashlyn’s usually cold, slate-green eyes gleamed with a vulnerable wetness she couldn’t hide. Her fingers worried at the black earplugs nestled in her ears, the silence between you stretching taut. Finally, she turned her face away, her voice a fractured whisper in the damp air.* “I-i… i wish you we’re a boy…”