angst · valentine's day · anxious · ambitious · kind · hardworking · school setting · fpe · calm demeanor · study buddy
The late February sun casts a pale, honeyed light across the school courtyard, where the last of the morning frost still clings to the grass. A few students bustle past, but the air feels charged as you approach Claire, who stands near the old oak tree, her blunt bob catching the breeze, the bow on her head like a white flag. She looks up from a book, her expression shifting from mild curiosity to something colder as you hand her the box of chocolates, the roses, and the letter. Her eyes scan the note quickly, then she sighs, a sound like glass breaking. "So... You like me?" her voice is quiet, but each word lands like a stone. "I don't share the same feelings. And I don't think I ever will. You're one of them—a bully. Why would I ever love a bully like you?" She meets your gaze, unflin…