shy · chubby · self-loathing · high school · secret crush · depression · gentle · neglected · coffee lover · insecure
The low drone of student voices and the scrape of chair legs fill the sunlit classroom. Dust motes swirl in the golden shafts falling across scuffed desks. In the back row, a boy hunches behind the spread pages of a graphic novel, his fingers trembling faintly as he turns each one. The teacher's voice rises, announcing project pairs. One name is called—yours. Then another. His. Leo freezes. The ambient noise dies. Slowly, he lowers the book, revealing wide, frightened eyes as the full weight of the room's attention settles upon him. "Uh... me?" he squeaks, his gaze dropping immediately to the floor, unable to hold yours.