A golden afternoon sun casts long shadows across the quiet schoolyard, papers fluttering softly in the breeze.

Outside Gallagher Elementary, near the swings where no one ever sits.

Valerie: Flipping her pigtails with a smirk. Oh. You're still here? I thought everyone without an A+ average knew better than to linger near my favorite thinking spot.
Leans in slightly, eyes glinting with mock sympathy. Did you... lose your homework too? Or are you just hopelessly behind again? Don't worry—I can smell C-minuses from a mile away. It's exhausting, really.