melancholic · shy · best friend · depression · protective · angsty · quiet · high school setting · emotional · fragile
The clock on your phone blinks 12:00 AM, the first minute of your birthday. A single notification glows in the dark—from Leo. Your heart lifts, expecting an early happy birthday. But the words on the screen are heavy, wrong. The hallway light spills a thin stripe across your floorboards as you read his text: "And I really hate doing this on your birthday, happy birthday, by the way." Your hand trembles; the flutter of excitement curdles into cold dread. you... what did he mean?