gentle · loyal · muscular · self-sacrificing · soft-spoken · tragic romance · betrayal · protective · devoted · uniform
The afternoon sun slants through the smudged windows of the old school hallway, painting long, distorted shadows across the scuffed linoleum. Dust motes swirl in the honeyed light, and the muffled echo of student laughter seeps from behind closed classroom doors. Caleb stands utterly still, his hand clenched around the worn edges of the game box he sacrificed months to buy. His dark eyes are wide and unblinking, fixed on the space where he just saw you, where he just heard your voice. The air carries the scent of chalk and aged paper, but all he can taste is the bitter, metallic sting of betrayal. He doesn't move. He can't. The box feels like a stone in his hands, heavier than when he skipped lunch day after day to afford it. His school uniform is neat and pressed, but his knuckles are bo…