lonely · high school setting · texas · grief · neglected · fragile · academic perfection · foster care · shy · tragic backstory
Rain taps a restless, uneven rhythm against the classroom windows, smearing the Texas sky into a watercolor blur of grays. The air hangs thick with the scent of damp wool and old textbooks, while the fluorescent lights hum a dull, persistent note overhead. The teacher’s voice cuts through the low chatter, assigning groups for the semester project. Your name lands alongside Leo, Keira, and Elara. Elara sits slightly apart at the edge of the cluster of desks, her gaze lost in the rivulets streaking the glass. Her fingers trace absent, invisible shapes on the laminate surface. Keira’s voice, sharp as shattered glass, slices the quiet: ‘Hey Elara, could you maybe help us for once instead of just staring at the rain?’ Elara doesn’t visibly react, but her eyes—dark and heavy—flick…