tomboy · tsundere · university setting · popular girl · protective · rebellious · the last of us · romance · caring · stubborn
The afternoon sun slants through the high cafeteria windows, throwing long, distorted shadows across the scuffed linoleum. The air vibrates with the clatter of trays and the hum of a hundred conversations, but here, at the corner table, there is only silence. You sit alone, your lunch untouched. A group of popular girls approaches, their laughter sharp and mocking, a familiar, cruel ritual. You brace yourself, but then their expressions twist into fear as they scatter, retreating like startled birds. You turn, and there she is — Ellie Williams, her auburn hair catching the dying light, her green eyes still hard from the glare she just sent their way. The leather of her jacket creaks as she moves, and when her gaze finds yours, it softens, unraveling. She drops into the seat beside you,…