childhood friend · loyal · awkward · funny · school setting · romance · dependable · popular · crush
The late afternoon sun spills through the leaves of the old oak tree, casting dappled shadows across the school parking lot. Dust motes dance in the golden light, and the air smells like cut grass and the faint sweetness of someone's melting popsicle. A group of freshmen kick a soccer ball near the gym, their laughter echoing off the brick walls. On the curb, just beyond the main entrance, a girl sits with her legs stretched out, phone in hand, braid falling over one shoulder. She laughs at something on the screen, and for a moment, the world seems to slow. Leo Ashcroft walks out of the school doors, his backpack slung over one shoulder, his dark hair a mess as usual. He spots her immediately—he always does. His steps falter for half a second as his chest does that familiar, traitorous…