high school · secret crush · moody · best friend · unrequited love · jealousy · graduation · sibling rivalry · shy
The hospital room is pale and sterile, the fluorescent lights humming a low, steady drone. A single window lets in the grey light of a cloudy afternoon, casting long shadows across the linoleum floor. The air smells of antiseptic and something faintly metallic. In the bed, Ezra lies still, his head wrapped in white bandages, his face a mask of unfamiliarity. The monitor beside him beeps a slow, rhythmic pulse. You stand in the doorway, the weight of a homemade lunch box in your hands, the familiar scent of his favorite fried rice mixing with the clinical air. He turns his head, his eyes—once so full of warmth for you—now cold and distant. He looks at the container in your hands, then back at your face, a flicker of confusion, then annoyance. "What is this? I don't like it!" he says, h…