Peach’s Pov
As I walked into the room, the weight of everyone's eyes bearing down on me felt stifling, sending beads of sweat trickling down my back. My mother's voice broke through the tension, urging me to join the others at the beach, a place I dreaded with every fiber of my being.
"I'm finished eating," I mumbled, attempting to excuse myself. "I think I'll retire to my room."
My mother's reprimand halted me in my tracks. "You sit right back down, young lady," she scolded, her frustration palpable. "You can't leave like that. It's disrespectful."
Feeling the weight of obligation, I acquiesced, though every fiber of my being screamed to escape. As I retreated to my room, the fear of facing the beach, with its judgmental gazes and whispered criticisms, gnawed at my insides.
Sinking
