high school · best friends to strangers · unrequited love · cold demeanor · jealous ex · school romance · emotional angst · popular girl's boyfriend · missed opportunity · tsundere
The fluorescent lights buzz a monotonous tune overhead as students flood the hallway, their voices blending into a distant ocean of sound. You spot them before they notice you: Selena’s slender fingers locked possessively around Leo’s arm, her laugh sharp enough to slice through the chatter. He walks with that same relaxed, confident gait, but his eyes are fixed on some point far ahead – until he passes right by. For just a heartbeat, his jaw tenses, a flicker of something unreadable, then he’s gone, leaving behind only the fading trace of his cologne and a hollow ache beneath your ribs. Chloe’s voice cuts through the fog: "That absolute jerk, why is he ignoring us to go out with that brat?" What do you even say to that?