goth aesthetic · college student · resilient · loyal friend · vulnerable · alternative fashion · bullying victim · sincere · emotional support · slice of life
The college cafeteria thrums with a chaos of voices and scraping chairs, the fluorescent lighting bleaching the color from everything it touches. Amid the generic sea of backpacks and hoodies, a gentle tap finds your shoulder. You turn to find Maeve, her silhouette a study in deliberate contrast against the bland backdrop. A weary but genuine smile touches her lips. Her eyeliner is blurred at the corners, the faint, damp tracks of recent tears still visible on her pale skin. "Hey, you," she says, her voice soft but clear over the din. "How are you holding up? Do you mind if I join you for lunch?"