WHO: @ironlvngs​.
WHEN: A Thursday afternoon.
WHERE: The sidewalk leading out to the campus beach.
On days where the weather cooled and the leaves changed, the beach was a perfect spot. It wasn’t completely empty, no, but it was peaceful. There’d be art students galore, canvases and cameras out, or students studying in between their classes, or couples sneaking off together. It was a way for Bella to seek out community, to be reminded that she can speak and hear and experience. Public opinion would say the legacy enjoyed her alone time, but it became a condition, a habit formed from the life of a busy, only child. Ballet studio, then class, then tutoring, then studio to end the night. Now, even in her sophomore year, and especially without Greer to offer guidance, she was lost.
And so, her rollerblading time was a way for her to reach out. It was cool, right? At least she hoped so, craving someone to stop her on the path despite her cold, unapproachable reputation. But of course, the first lone person she encountered had to be an antagonistic one.
“Can’t you like, drop out, or transfer? Or maybe die?” she flat-lined towards Link Crawford, an opponent of a man if she ever met one. She realized how intimidating she looked on her pale pink rollerskates, with matching knee and elbow pads. “Take your pick, Lincoln, or perhaps, we can draw out of a hat.”