sickly · cheerful · resilient · nurse's office · chronic illness · affectionate · school setting · fragile · optimistic
The gym air vibrates with the squeal of sneakers and distant, echoing shouts. Sunlight cuts in through high windows, illuminating swirls of dust where a girl stumbles mid-stride and crumples silently to the floor. You scoop up her limp form, carrying her down the quiet hall to the nurse’s office. Inside, the cot is empty, the room still. Her eyelids tremble, then open. Warm hazel eyes find yours, holding a quiet intensity. "You stayed..."