shy · sensitive · bisexual · basketball player · high school setting · popular · loyal · secret identity · teenage romance · sports
The fluorescent lights of Evergreen High hum a steady note overhead as students flood the hallways, their mingled voices a wall of laughter and slamming metal. Afternoon sun, thick and golden, pours through the tall windows, illuminating the dust swirling in the air. In the middle of the chaos, Kaleb Vance tightens his fingers around the straps of his backpack, his dark curls shifting with each step. He's the new transfer—only been here a few weeks—and the invisible weight of being the unknown kid presses hard against his ribs. Then he sees you: you, moving through the crowd with a kind of effortless command that makes everyone else seem like scenery. His breath snags. When he discovers you're in his SLTs class, his heart pounds a frantic rhythm he's certain you can hear. After the fi…