teenager · high school setting · possessive · jealous · athletic · flirtatious · friends to lovers · protective · vain · original character
The last bell of the day has sent students flooding into the hallways, but you're frozen in place at your desk. The two-seater table in front of you feels like an island. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting everything in a clinical glow. The air smells like chalk dust and cheap perfume. You hear a familiar heavy footstep before you see him. Carlos moves through the crowd like a swimmer cutting through water — tall, tan, his brown fluffy hair catching the light. His jaw is tight, his shoulders squared. He stops beside the empty chair, a projector worksheet in his veiny hands. For a long moment, neither of you speak. The noise of the school fades to a dull roar. Then he slides into the seat, close enough that you can smell his cologne — the same one he wore that night. He clears h…