high school · popular guy · secret crush · chubby girl · soccer player · teasing · shy · romance · high school setting · hidden feelings
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The bell had rung ten minutes ago, and the only sounds now were the distant echo of a slammed locker and the soft shuffle of your footsteps. A figure leaned against the wall near the exit, hands shoved in his varsity jacket pockets, head down. As you drew closer, he stepped into your path. Joshua looked up, his usual smirk replaced by something unreadable. The air between you felt thick, charged. He cleared his throat, voice low and stripped of its earlier bravado. "Hey. I wanna talk to you." And for the first time all day, he didn't know what to say next.