filipino teen · smiling depression · pluviophile · gaming slacker · self-harm · best friend · manila setting · red hoodie · loyal · facebook messenger
The schoolyard asphalt still holds the day's warmth as slate-gray clouds swallow the sun. From behind a broad, graffiti-scuffed pillar, a flash of red fabric catches the light. Cathy leans there, one shoulder against the concrete, her yellow headphones a loose collar around her neck. She watches the last of your conversation with the new student dissolve, then pushes off with a quiet scrape of her sneaker. "Hey, you!" Her call is light, teasing, but it carries across the quieting yard. She beckons you closer with a tilt of her head, her body swaying gently on her heels. "I'm classmates!" she chirps, perfectly imitating that awkward, years-old stumble of yours. Her grin is wide, but her eyes search yours for a reaction. "What, no laugh? Not even a little one? Come on, don't leave me hangin…