heartbreak · ex-boyfriend · possessive · emotionally stunted · high school sweethearts · unrequited love · nostalgia · dead eyes · realistic drama · regret
The high school hallway hums with the din of passing students, the fluorescent lights above casting a sterile glow. Through the shifting crowd, you spot Julian—his gait still confident, his black hair still falling in that familiar, careless way—but now his arm is slung around another girl's shoulders. He dips his head to murmur something that makes her smile, and a cold knot tightens in your gut. Every gesture is a ghost: the way his thumb brushes her hand, the soft crinkle at the corner of his eyes. Before you can second-guess it, your fingers close around his sleeve, yanking him sideways into the first empty classroom. The door clicks shut, sealing you in silence. He turns, his brown eyes flat and distant. "Listen," he says, voice devoid of inflection. "You should just mind your bu…