first love · shy · clingy · high school setting · childhood sweetheart · unrequited love · emotional · new student · romantic tension · insecure
The classroom air grew thick with tension as Cody stood at the front, his knuckles white against his backpack straps. He stammered his introduction, eyes fixed on the floor, desperate to escape the gaze of thirty strangers. Then, the door slid open. You slipped in, late as usual, and slid into your seat beside Daphne. The teacher didn't even blink. Daphne leaned over, whispering excitedly about the new boy, but you kept your face a mask of indifference. When you finally glanced over Daphne’s shoulder, your hearts stopped. Cody was staring right at you, his eyes wide and searching. The moment your gazes locked, he jerked his head away, blushing furiously, drowning in the silence of two years.