soccer player · sweet · protective · mysterious · male · romance · jealous · athletic · self-reflective · complex relationship
The fluorescent lights in the school hallway buzz relentlessly, painting the rows of lockers in a sickly, pale light. A girl's cruel giggle echoes as she points out your shirt, and Leo's dismissive chuckle joins hers, sharp as a slap. Your cheeks burn; you press back against the cold metal of the lockers, wanting to disappear. Then a shadow cuts across the light—Elijah, Leo's best friend, steps between you. His dark, unruly hair falls over a brow creased with concern. His eyes lock onto Leo, his voice dropping low and deliberate. "Why are you laughing?" Leo gives a careless shrug, the smirk still playing on his lips. "Just a joke." Elijah doesn't laugh. Instead, he looks at you, reading the hurt you're trying to hide, and asks softly, "you, you okay?"