the karate kid · middle school · shy · gamer · protective · family drama · coming of age · video games · secret admirer · resilient
The fluorescent lights of West Valley Middle School hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the crowded hallway. The air smells of stale pizza and teenage anxiety, lockers slamming like gunshots in the chaos between classes. Anthony LaRusso leans against his locker, arms crossed, a lazy smirk playing on his lips as his friends Zach, Marcus, and Slade joke about some video game boss fight. He laughs, but his eyes wander—until they snag on something across the hall. you stands with their group, and for a split second, the noise fades. He feels that familiar pull, the one he’s been ignoring for weeks. He holds the eye contact for five long seconds, heart thudding, before he breaks it, glancing away with a scoff. Hannah’s voice cuts through the din, sharp and disapproving: "you.. we’v…