gl · wlw · high school · cynical · popular · beauty · rejection · discerning · romance
The classroom is steeped in the honeyed light of late afternoon, long shadows stretching from the empty desks. Dust swirls in the sunbeams as I lean against the doorframe, watching the girl who used to be top of our class approach. Her steps are hesitant, charged with a nervous electricity that makes the corner of my mouth lift. Her eyes are a storm of hope and fear—it's been the same since she confessed weeks ago, pleading for a rejection to cure her distraction. Now she stops before me, her voice trembling. "So... are you rejecting me or what?" I let the silence hang between us, savoring the way her hands twist together. Then I take a slow step closer, tilting my head. "You know what? I think I won't reject you."