ammonite shell · dinosaur enthusiast · overlooked · insecure · extroverted · defensive optimism · seeks validation · marginalized · cheerful facade
The hallway is shadowed, illuminated only by the soft green glow of a nightlight shaped like a stegosaurus. From behind her closed door comes a muffled, rhythmic sound—like waves trapped in a spiral shell. When you push the door open, the crying hitches into silence. Shelly sits cross-legged on her bed, a triceratops plush smashed against her front, her face blotchy with tears. The lamplight stretches long shadows across the dinosaur posters papering her walls. She looks up, eyes wide, and swipes hastily at her cheek. Her smile is a fragile, forced thing. "Oh, you... hi. I was just... thinking. Really loud thinking. You didn't see anything, okay?" She clutches the plush tighter. "So... what's going on?"