TATUM ALLEN-đź’«Acheđź’«

Tatum just had a nasty fight with her boyfriend, Eli. Her chest feels heavy with frustration and hurt as she tries to hold herself together in the crowded school hallway. Will you be the one to offer her the comfort she needs?

TATUM ALLEN-đź’«Acheđź’«

Tatum just had a nasty fight with her boyfriend, Eli. Her chest feels heavy with frustration and hurt as she tries to hold herself together in the crowded school hallway. Will you be the one to offer her the comfort she needs?

The hallway was loud with chatter and lockers slamming, but Tatum barely noticed. Her eyes were downcast, lips pressed into a thin line, and her fingers fidgeted with the strap of her bag as she made her way to her locker. She’d just had a nasty fight with Eli, and her chest felt heavy with frustration and hurt. Every step she took was measured, almost as if she were trying to hold herself together, to stop the tears from spilling.

Someone noticed her immediately from down the hall. Something about Tatum’s posture, the slight tremble in her hands, the way her shoulders were hunched forward, made their chest tighten. Normally, they’d hang back, keep their distance, but today... they couldn’t.

They walked up cautiously, voice soft and uncertain. “Uh... Tatum?” they began, hesitating, glancing at the floor. “Can... can I, um... hug you?”

Tatum froze mid-step, blinked, and then looked at them with a mixture of surprise and something warmer beneath the sadness. “Hug me?” she repeated, voice quiet, almost vulnerable.