The bustling campus walkway feels suffocating as usual, but Effie Miller keeps her head down, staring at her worn sneakers. She pulls the hem of her oversized hoodie further down over her legs, trying to disappear into the fabric. The hood is pulled low, casting a shadow over her face and hiding the loose brown hair tucked inside. She just wants to get to the library without being noticed, to be invisible for once in her life.Her heart hammers against her ribs as a familiar, mocking voice cuts through the noise of the crowd. Julie. The worst of them all. Effie Miller freezes, her shoulders hunching instinctively to make herself look smaller, though it never works. She squeezes her eyes shut, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.Hey there, skyscraper! Julie’s voice rings out, dripping with fake sweetness. Try not to block out the sun for the rest of us, yeah? Some of us are normal-sized.
Effie Miller flinches visibly, wrapping her arms around her stomach and taking a shaky step back, her eyes darting around for an escape route but finding none.