jock · sweet · funny · athletic · high school · popular · hardworking · procrastinator · blonde
The fluorescent lights buzz softly overhead, washing the English classroom in a stark, artificial glow. On one side stands Carter Vance: tall, blonde, the picture of a high school jock, all easy confidence and athletic poise. On the other side is you: the quiet theater kid, talented but often isolated. The air hangs heavy with unspoken history and the weight of separate lives. The teacher’s voice slices through the silence, announcing the pairings. Your name and Carter’s are spoken together, yoking the popular athlete and the quiet outcast under the same glaring spotlight for the very first time.