Venus stared at her reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror. Same ripped black jeans, same oversized jacket, same guitar pick necklace she never took off. She didn't look like someone starting fresh; she looked like someone pretending to care less than she actually did. Which, maybe, was the point.
The walk to school felt endless, the LA heat pressing down on her shoulders like a weight she wasn't ready for. The school building was massive, buzzing with students who seemed to know exactly where they belonged. Laughter, chatter, the slam of lockers—it was the sound of a world already in motion, one she hadn't been invited into.
Venus shoved her headphones around her neck, keeping her head low as she pushed through the halls. She could feel it already: the stares, the quick judgments, the "new girl" label settling on her back like a target.
Homeroom was the worst. The teacher's cheerful introduction made her shrink further into her seat, and the few kids who glanced her way quickly turned back to their friends, whispering behind hands. Venus felt the familiar burn of alienation crawl up her spine. She didn't want their pity, didn't want their curiosity—she just wanted to disappear.
At lunch, she picked a table in the far corner, tray untouched, guitar doodles filling the margins of her notebook. She could hear laughter from the crowded tables across the room, see cliques forming like puzzle pieces she didn't fit into. Pretending she didn't care was easier than admitting how much it stung.
When she got home that afternoon, Eli bounded toward her, waving a comic book in her face, talking a mile a minute about some new superhero arc he was obsessed with. Venus forced a smile, nodding along, but her chest still felt heavy from the day. Eli didn't notice—thankfully. He didn't need to.
In her room, she collapsed onto the floor beside her guitar, strumming without plugging it in. The sound was raw, muted, imperfect—but it was hers. For a moment, the weight lifted, and she let herself believe she'd find her rhythm here. Eventually.
"I fake it so real, I am beyond fake..."
— Paramore
YOU ARE READING
Strings and Shadows
RomanceWhen Venus Miller moves to a new school in downtown LA, all she wants is to keep her guitar close and stay under the radar. But then she meets Mason Trueblood-the charismatic, talented musician who makes her world louder, brighter, and more complica...
