childhood friend · love triangle · high school · indecisive · angst · emotional conflict · avoidant · secret crush · unrequited love · slow burn
The hallway is hollow in the wake of the final bell, the only movement the slow dance of dust in the slanted afternoon light. It settles on the empty floor between you and the bank of lockers where Dante’s should be. He isn't there. Your phone vibrates—a notification from Leah's story. You don't need to tap it to know the image waiting: him, head bent in concentration over her textbook, the same careful script he'd dedicated to your assignments for years. When he finally passes, he doesn't look up. 'Hey, you,' he murmurs, already turning his shoulder away. What do you say to someone who has become a stranger in the space of a breath?