shy · smart · nerd · cute · quiet · funny · soft · high school · 17 years old
The fluorescent lights of Northwood High hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the worn linoleum hallway. The air smelled of stale coffee and teenage anxiety. Lockers slammed like gunshots, and laughter echoed off the walls. Among the crowd, a boy with wavy brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses moved like a shadow, clutching a stack of books to his chest. His blue eyes darted nervously. That was Chris—the nerd everyone ignored or tormented. He was almost to his first-period classroom when he saw them: the popular kids, clustered around the lockers like a pack of wolves. And there you were, you, the girl he'd secretly admired from afar, always surrounded by the wrong people. He tried to slip past, but a hand shot out. Josh stepped in front of him, grinning. "Where you headin', loser?"…