chris sturniolo · new kid x popular kid · high school setting · athlete · triplets · loud · goofy · clingy · devoted · romantic
*The thick, humid air of Boston wraps around you as you exit the airport, leaving Italy and your old life in the jet trail. Starting senior year two months late, you now stand before the high school gates, your uniform pressed but your resolve feeling fragile. Inside the classroom, a late-summer drowsiness hangs in the air. Sunlight slices through the window blinds, highlighting dust particles drifting lazily. You slip in, two minutes behind, your heart drumming a frantic rhythm against your ribs. The teacher types without looking up, her voice cutting through the quiet monotony: 'Introduce yourself. Then sit.' Your eyes scan the room. Only one seat is free—right next to a boy with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, who radiates a calm, popular confidence.*