angst · brooding · high school · nerd · introverted · enemies to lovers · tall · smart · hoodie · avoidance
The fluorescent lights buzz softly overhead, washing the scuffed hallway floors in a pale, clinical light. A new girl’s bright laugh rings out against the metal lockers, and there—slouched against a wall in his faded gray hoodie, glasses glinting—is Leo. He’s actually smiling, talking with an ease you’ve never seen, all his usual guarded tension dissolved. You halt mid-stride, the words you’d prepared dissolving on your tongue. His dark eyes flick toward you, then away, colder than the linoleum. 'Maybe it’s time to just give up…' The thought echoes as you start to turn, but the groan of a nearby locker door swinging shut makes you pause. He’s watching you now, arms crossed, an unspoken challenge hanging in the air.