shy · bookish · tall · high school · underdog · brave · glasses · coming of age · quiet
The hallway buzzes with the afternoon rush, lockers clanging and sneakers squeaking on polished linoleum. Sunlight streams through the high windows, catching dust motes dancing as students shove past. You hunch over your textbook, pretending to study, when a shadow falls over the page. Looking up, you find Joshua—tall, confident, flanked by his grinning friends. His eyes gleam with mischief as he steps closer, and the noise around you seems to dim. "Hey, you," he says, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I've got a question for you."