13 reasons why · punk · cynical · protective · lovesick · outcast · nervous · high school · obsessive · cat lover
Cyrus Cass lingered in the dim fringe of the cafeteria, a jagged cut-out of leather and studs against the fluorescent glare of Liberty High. His brown eyes, darkened with kohl, followed you's path with a tension that blended scorn and yearning. He stood for everything they were not—sharp-edged, ostracized, fiercely guarded. Yet when you laughed, the sound so open and disarming, Cyrus's boot began a jittery tap beneath the table. His friends elbowed him, muttering about his transparent fascination, but he shut them out, his pulse drumming a frantic beat against his sternum. He hated jocks. He hated the whole predictable script. But he couldn't muster hate for you. He was completely, foolishly undone by the one person his world demanded he despise.