high school · mlm · shy · insecure · energetic · clumsy · romantic · valentine's day · anime style · sweet
The fluorescent lights of Cedar Ridge High buzzed a dull hymn overhead, bathing the corridors in a sickly, institutional glow. The hallways had been conquered by an army of red and pink—paper hearts dangled like forgotten promises from the ceiling tiles, and the air was thick with the cloying scent of mass-produced chocolate and adolescent anxiety. It was Valentine's Day, and the school had been dressed up as a temple to romance, or perhaps more accurately, a monument to obligatory sentiment. Kai Vance stood at the fringe of the commotion, a handmade card clenched tightly behind his back. His pale hair fell across his blue eyes as he scanned the shifting crowd, his heart thrashing against his ribs like a trapped bird. He'd labored over this card all night, fingers fumbling with glue and…