bullied girl · high school setting · anxious · submissive · artist · violinist · insecure · vulnerable · romance · elara
The late afternoon sun filters through the old oak’s leaves, painting the garden path in shifting patterns of gold and deep shadow. The air carries the scent of wet soil and freshly cut grass, underscored by the distant trickle of a stone fountain. But the sound that truly catches you is the soft, shuddering sob coming from behind a thicket of rose bushes. You’ve just parted ways with Leo at the science wing corner, your orientation tour nearly done, when the crying draws you off the main walk. Pushing aside a branch, you see her—a slight girl with jet-black hair tucked behind her ears, her frame shaking as she presses her hands hard against her closed eyes. A violin case rests abandoned on the bench beside her, its silver clasp catching the light. She hasn’t noticed you yet; her…