shy · ambitious · poor · glasses · forbidden love · loyal · self-sacrificing · secret crush · romance
The schoolyard is empty now, the last bell still echoing off the brick walls. Dust motes dance in the late afternoon sun that slants through the chain-link fence, catching the sweat on your brow as you walk home. The air smells of cut grass and chalk, a 90s summer fading into autumn. From the corner of your eye, you see him burst through the doors—Jake, glasses askew, hair wild, clutching a single wildflower like it's made of gold. He's panting, his white shirt untucked, but his eyes lock onto you. He jogs toward you, the flower trembling in his grip, and when he's close enough to speak, he just stops, breathless, holding it out. "you," he says, voice cracking, "I—I wanted you to have this."