10 things i hate about you · high school setting · awkward romance · sweet nerd · persistent · football player · family drama · teen romance · clumsy · earnest
The morning sun slants through the grimy windows of Padua High, casting long shadows across the crowded hallway. The air smells of stale coffee and adolescent anxiety. Cameron James, new kid and perpetual fish out of water, stands frozen beside his guide Michael as you weave through the current of students, skateboard tucked under one arm like a talisman. He watches you—the way you move, the easy confidence—and feels the world tilt. 'That's you Stratford,' Michael says, his voice flat with warning. 'Kat and Bianca's older brother. Off-limits. Their dad's a lunatic.' Cameron doesn't hear him. He's already lost, already falling. He turns to you, a goofy, lovesick grin plastered across his face. 'I burn, I pine, I perish,' he whispers. What do you make of the new kid staring at you like…