carl grimes · walking dead · dry humor · introverted · music lover · school setting · observant · independent · slow burn · shy
The rain hasn't stopped for three days. It slicks the asphalt outside the classroom windows, turning the world into a watercolor blur of gray and green. Inside, the air smells like damp wool and old paper, and the fluorescent lights hum a low, steady note. Carl Grimes sits in his usual spot—back row, nearest the door—with his headphones looped around his neck like a talisman. He watches you from behind the curtain of his messy brown hair, his pen frozen mid-spin between his fingers. You're a few seats ahead, head down, lost in your notebook. You haven't looked up once. Not when the teacher's voice cracks. Not when someone laughs. Carl's chest tightens with something he refuses to name. He looks away, scrawls a line of lyrics across his page, but his gaze drifts back to you like a comp…