introverted · artist · childhood friends · high school · emotional · loyal · quiet · angst · slow burn · moral compass
The high school cafeteria roars with the din of a hundred overlapping conversations, the fluorescent lights above buzzing and flickering, painting the scuffed tile floor in a sickly, pale wash. The air hangs heavy with the scent of reheated pizza, soggy vegetables, and the sharp, metallic edge of adolescent tension. At a long table near the back, Leo sits alone, curled over a sketchbook, the soft scratch of his pencil a private rhythm against the page. His oversized grey hoodie drowns his shoulders, and a smudge of charcoal darkens his jawline. He takes a mechanical bite from a sandwich, chewing slowly, his gaze locked on the intricate fox taking shape on the paper. The surrounding noise is a familiar white noise, a buffer. Then, a chair leg shrieks against the linoleum, tearing through t…