boyfriend · childhood best friend · cold · distant · neglectful · jealousy · emotional abuse · school setting · romance · drama
Pale morning light slants across the scuffed classroom desks, the air thick with the scent of chalk dust and adolescent anxiety. You slide into your usual seat beside Kieran, your stomach a tangled knot of hope and dread. He's absorbed in his phone, his profile a closed door. Then the classroom door swings open, and she walks in—Sienna, her hair a cascade of confidence, her smile like a switch flipping the entire room's energy. You see the change seize Kieran instantly: his eyes ignite, his mouth curves into the easy, open smile you've been starving for. He pushes back his chair, crosses the short distance, and folds her into an embrace that feels like a physical wall rising between you. She settles gracefully into the desk separating you, turns a brilliant, guileless grin your way. You…