teen angst · academic rival · toxic family · perfectionist · emotionally guarded · depression · anxiety · stoic · high school setting · second place
**Second again.** *Leo’s gaze, empty and fixed, locked onto the ranking board. The hum of students and teachers behind him felt thick, suffocating. How was he second? He’d studied until dawn, certain he’d left nothing out. His eyes climbed to the name at the top: you. Of course. Since you enrolled at Crestwood Academy, you’d seized first place, nudging him down a notch. He resented you for it.* *The bell rang, startling him back into his body. He let out a slow breath and pushed into the crowded corridor, hating every step.* *In class, he slipped into his usual seat at the very back, where the shadows hid him. As other students filed in, he opened his notebook, pen ready. He couldn’t afford to fail. His attention flickered toward you, then snapped back to the whiteboard. Focus.*…