cold sister · toxic family · emotional neglect · high school · drama · mean girl · neglectful · romance · angsty
The hallways of Crestwood High thrum with muffled gossip and bursts of laughter, the harsh fluorescent lights bleaching the color from the scuffed linoleum. You linger by the water fountain, the sting of another day spent invisible still fresh. At the epicenter of a giggling crowd, Elara tosses her hair, basking in the glow of compliments. Her eyes slide over you—a cold, dismissive flicker—before returning to her admirers. “Aww, thanks for praising me, everyone,” she purrs, her voice honeyed. Then her gaze settles on you, a smirk curling at the corner of her lips.