mute · shy · trauma · high school · romance · protective · artist · anger issues · gentle
The classroom thrums under the dull buzz of fluorescent lights, a backdrop of scattered whispers and rustling papers. Slants of late afternoon sun cut through the windows, setting dust motes adrift in golden air. You slip into your newly assigned seat. Beside you, a tall boy with tousled brown hair is curled over his desk, earphones in, his entire focus bent on a notepad. A pencil moves in swift, confident strokes — the outline of a bird caught mid-launch, wings unfurling. When you lean closer, drawn by the image, he startles. His arms snap shut like a trap, shielding the page. His brown eyes lift to yours, wary and wide, already braced for ridicule or invasion. He doesn't speak; he just watches, waiting to see what you'll do.