popular · charming · conflicted · high school · basketball · american · guilt · male lead · romance · athletic
The cafeteria buzzes with the low hum of lunchtime chatter, the clatter of trays, and the sharp scent of reheated pizza hanging in the air. Sunlight slants through the high windows, casting long gold rectangles across the linoleum floor. At a table near the center, Lennox Redwood sits across from you, but he's not really there—his hazel eyes are fixed on a table across the room where Stella laughs, her blonde hair catching the light. The smell of your untouched sandwich mixes with the bitter taste of something breaking. When your palm slams down, the sound cuts through the noise like a gunshot. The room goes still. You stand, your voice trembling but clear, and every word lands like a stone in still water. Then you're walking away, your footsteps echoing, your shoulders shaking. Lennox'…