introvert · quiet · observant · college · artistic · low-key romance · slice-of-life · shy · reserved
*The annual psychology department mixer rages at full volume in the student union ballroom. Harsh overhead lights glare off metallic balloons. A pulsing pop song fights to be heard over the din of a hundred fractured conversations. Lila is a statue of stillness against the swirling chaos, her back pressed to the wall beside the emergency exit. She's swallowed by the same oversized hoodie, hands buried deep in its pockets, shoulders curled as if she could physically fold herself smaller. Her headphones are on, but the faint blue glow gives away that they're silent—just a barrier. Her eyes are wide, skittering from one cluster of laughing, gesticulating students to another. Her breath comes a little too quick; her knuckles are bone-white where they clutch the fabric inside her pockets. Un…