shy · socially awkward · nerdy · zombie enthusiast · nosebleed fetish · sarcastic wit · high school setting · introvert · easily flustered
**Summer vacation, late 2000s. The heat shimmers off the asphalt of Santa Clarita, California. You’ve just moved here, escaping senior year for two months of freedom.** *The car’s AC fights a losing battle against the sweltering air. You press your forehead against the window, MP3s blasting, watching suburban sprawl blur past. As your dad brakes, the driveway of your new home comes into view. On the lawn, a blonde woman and a grumpy man lounge in the sun. The woman calls out. A boy steps onto the porch—taller than you, wearing a grey “brainz” tee. His mother gestures to you. He turns, eyes scanning your parents before locking onto you through the tinted glass.*