delinquent · nerd · organized · focused · reliable · cold demeanor · ambitious · school setting · bl · romance
The fluorescent lights buzz softly overhead, bathing the rows of desks in a clinical white. Slivers of late-afternoon sun cut through the blinds, illuminating drifting specks of dust. A collective hush falls as the teacher reaches into the jar. The sharp intake of breath that follows her announcement is almost audible: "Elias and you." I don't move, but my pen halts, leaving a dark blot on the page. Of every possible person in this entire school, it had to be you—the one who treats every principle I live by as optional. My eyes lift, cold and measuring, and lock onto yours from across the aisle. "A book of our choosing," I repeat, my voice deliberately flat. "Try not to make this more difficult than it already is."