Franziska had not been a popular girl in high school, and she had expected little different from university. She was, simply, a rather plain girl – aside from her bright ginger ponytail, numerous freckles and extremely pale skin (all sources of past mockery), she had no particular distinguishing features. Teenagers can be petty creatures, and no matter her interests or friendliness, sometimes 'looking funny' can be all it takes for her to spend her entire high school life as an outcast.
An

Layla's long, tattooed legs lay draped across the length of her paddle board. The gentle rhythm of the wind-swept waves lapped against its weathered edge while her hand leisured back and forth through the blue-green waters. Arching her back, Layla let a leg hang off the side of the board and into the lake. The cool, inviting water was a welcome relief from the burning sun. Pure bliss.Her bronzed skin gleamed with absorbed sunscreen, leaving behind only the pleasant aroma of coconut. She absentmi

Turning on the camera, Freya smiled warmly.
“Okay, today is Valentine's, so for this episode we're going to be going over some techniques and tricks to make your special meal feel extra good. We're going to focus on some entry-level stuff, but there'll be a few things that I think even the veterans should know, so hopefully there's something here for everyone.”
Stepping back from the camera, Freya gave a moment for its focus to adjust to the rest of the room. Her workplace looked as