Third person pov
The scent of lavender and detergent clung to the air in the laundry room, usually a comforting aroma, but tonight it felt heavy, suffocating. Elena found Beauty hunched on a stool, her shoulders shaking silently. The fluorescent lights hummed above them, casting a stark, revealing light on Beauty’s usually radiant face, now stained with tears.
Elena’s heart clenched. Beauty was her only close friend, her confidante, the one person who understood her anxieties even without her having to say a word. To see her like this, so utterly broken, sent a jolt of panic through Elena.
"Beauty? What's wrong?" Elena asked, her voice soft, laced with concern. She knelt beside her friend, placing a hand on her trembling back. "Tell me. Please."
Instead of words, a fresh wave of sobs e
