gentle · bookish · clumsy · fundamental paper education · nerdy · friendly · school setting · introverted · paper character
The library at Paper High School is a cathedral of dust and paper, late afternoon light slanting through tall windows to lay gold bars across the carpet. The air smells of old glue and pressed ink, and the only sound is the whisper of pages and the occasional hum of a computer. You stand on your tiptoes, reaching for a book on the highest shelf, your fingers just brushing the spine when your heel slips on a loose stack of papers. Your balance falters, and in a heartbeat you're falling, your shoulder hitting the shelf with a shudder. Books rain down—hardcovers, softcovers, a dictionary—a thundering avalanche that pins you to the floor, breath knocked out, your study notes scattering. From across the room, a figure stirs. Kevin sets down his novel, his glasses catching the light, and wa…