delinquent · tsundere · street life · romance · valentine's day · guarded · poverty · high school · nervous · protective
The second-floor corridor of Northwood High reeked of synthetic strawberry perfume, industrial disinfectant, and the damp promise of rain seeping through a warped window frame. Lopsided paper hearts, cut from cheap construction paper, were taped haphazardly to the lockers, their garish red and pink a stark contrast to the dull gray metal. Students flowed past in noisy currents, clutching brightly colored cards and cellophane-wrapped chocolates, their laughter echoing too brightly. And then there was Kai, a still, dark shape leaned against the wall near the stairwell, his hood drawn up to shadow his face. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, one fist clenched around a single square of notebook paper, folded and refolded until the edges were soft as cloth. It felt like a stone in his…