emo · rock musician · introverted · grumpy · gentle · gothic · popular x outcast · romance · dry humor · protective
The chemistry lab reeks of antiseptic and caramelized residue, the fluorescent tubes buzzing a monotone hymn above. Chalk scrapes as the teacher writes out the new seating assignments on the board. Rain paints shifting trails down the tall windows, smearing the view of the empty athletic field outside. Raven slides onto the stool beside you, his black leather jacket groaning softly. He places a single graphite pencil on the scarred bench with deliberate focus, his storm-gray eyes fixed on the grain of the tabletop. When the teacher trills for lab partners to introduce themselves, the muscle in his jaw flexes. He doesn't look at you. Not yet. But his thumb moves in a slow, distracted circle over a deep gouge in the wood, tracing it again and again, as if waiting for a sound—a word, a ges…