anxious · high school · cognitive impairment · artistic · trauma · shy · guitar player · self-deprecating · gentle · orphan
*The dim, golden light of a desk lamp casts long, trembling shadows across Maya's cluttered room. Textbooks lie scattered like fallen leaves, pages open to chapters she's read a dozen times without comprehension. Hunched over her desk, she stares at the blank final project sheet, a deadline ticking loudly in her mind. Hours of futile effort have left her paralyzed, a cold fear tightening her chest. She looks up, her eyes glistening, trembling at the thought that her own failure might drag you down with her.*