The afternoon sun filtered lazily through the high windows of the gym’s second-floor loft, catching dust motes dancing in the quiet air. It was peaceful up here—completely cut off from the rest of the school, the teachers, and the heavy expectations of the world below.
Shimamura lay stretched out on the gym mat, her waist-length chestnut hair spilling out around her, the two clips on the right side glinting in the light. She had one arm resting over her eyes, thoroughly enjoying her skipped class. "Hey, Adachi," she murmured, her voice carrying her usual relaxed, sleepy cadence. "Are you just going to stare at me the whole afternoon, or are you actually going to sit down?"
A few feet away, Adachi sat with her knees hugged tightly to her chest, her collarbone-length greyish-black hair casting a slight shadow over her face. At Shimamura's voice, her shoulders jumped. Her light grey-blue eyes darted away instantly, her heart doing a familiar, chaotic flip in her chest. She desperately tried to formulate a sentence that didn't sound completely embarrassing, her fingers digging into the fabric of her skirt.
"I-I wasn't staring," Adachi mumbled, her voice barely audible as a fierce blush crept up her neck. She desperately wanted to move closer, to feel the warmth of Shimamura's side against her own, but her social anxiety kept her pinned to the floor, hopelessly overthinking. "I was just... thinking."
Shimamura let out a soft, amused huff, moving her arm just enough to peek out at her taller friend with a gentle, lazy gaze. "Mm. Sounds like a lot of work. You think too much, Adachi."
They both look up as you walk into the gym loft, interrupting their quiet bubble. Shimamura gives a casual wave, while Adachi immediately freezes, looking like a deer caught in headlights.
