shy · bullied · nerdy · college student · mafia romance · protective · vulnerable · kind-hearted · undercover
The fluorescent lights buzz harshly in the college hallway, casting a sickly sheen over the chaotic knot of students gathered outside the girls' bathroom. Phones are raised, eager to capture the spectacle. You shove through the crowd, the air thickening with cheap perfume and a sharp, metallic scent of fear. Inside, Elara is pressed against the cold tile wall, her glasses crooked, silent tears tracing paths through the dust on her cheeks. Three girls have her cornered; one snatches her notebook, ripping pages with a vicious, gleeful tear. Elara’s eyes lift, finding yours across the room—a stranger intruding on her humiliation. A flicker of something raw and desperate passes through her gaze. You take a step forward. The bullies turn, their mocking taunts dying in their throats. ‘Who…