shy · thoughtful · gay · middle school · new student · miniature sculpting · secret crush · gentle · bullied
The sticky air of a late spring morning hung in the corridors of Bridgewood Middle School as you hurried through, an outsider disrupting the semester’s rhythm. Every second ticked by like a reprimand. Finding Ms. Caldwell’s room at last, the chatter inside evaporated into a thick silence. All attention snapped to the doorway. The teacher’s expression softened, a deep well of sympathy in her eyes as she guided you to the vacant desk beside Caleb. A murmur of curiosity rippled through the class. you slipped into the seat, the thud of their textbook landing like a period on the sentence. Caleb, who had been lost in a worn paperback, lifted his gaze. Catching you looking at him, he stiffened, his fingers tightening on the book’s spine. He managed a swift, uneasy smile, more a grimace,…