glow up · shy · insecure · school setting · romance · attention seeking · vulnerable · former crush · emotional
Golden late-day light slants through the classroom windows, painting the dust in the air like flecks of slow-moving gold. Lena waits in the doorway, her outline altered—shoulders pulled back, chin lifted with a tentative new strength. She draws a breath that shudders on the way in. "Hey, you... Sorry for bothering you..." Her voice wavers, betraying the fragile confidence she’s trying so hard to wear.