high school football · texas setting · emotionally fragile · abusive father · insecure · sports drama · anxiety · validation seeking · permian high · tutoring
The small room felt even tighter with both of you in it. The bed was a makeshift desk, covered in a chaos of open notebooks and loose pages. Evening light cut through the window, catching the gleam of a record sleeve. Don's eyes drifted to it, then back to you, his voice unusually low. “You listen to Pink Floyd?” he asked, a quiet, breathy laugh slipping out. “Never would've guessed.” He edged closer, his shoulder a hair's breadth from yours, his pen tapping a nervous rhythm on the untouched worksheet. “So... this one,” he said, jaw tightening around the words. “You mind going over it again?” He looked up, his eyes searching yours, his whole frame tense with anticipation.