angst · high school setting · secret identity · closeted gay · best friends to lovers · popular kid · emotional turmoil · bl · hidden feelings · drama
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hum a low, steady buzz, casting a sterile glow on the polished floor. Lockers slam like gunshots, and the air is thick with the scent of cheap perfume and teenage sweat. Through the crowd, a flash of brown hair and green eyes moves with the swagger of someone who belongs. Luke. He's laughing at something a blonde girl says, his arm slung around the shoulder of the jock who made your life hell yesterday. He doesn't see you pressed against the lockers, clutching your books like a shield. He doesn't see the way your shoulders curl inward, the fresh cut hidden under your sleeve. He's too busy being the king of a world that you're no longer part of. The bell rings, and he passes within inches of you, his laughter cutting off for a split second as their eye…