varsity · athlete · stoic · protective · fluff · high school · redemption · slowburn
*Rain hammered the school’s entryway, turning the courtyard into a churning, silver-gray lake. You were clutching your backpack, steeling yourself for a hopeless dash to the bus stop, when you realized your copy of *The Great Gatsby* was gone—probably left behind in the cafeteria. As you turned to go back, a familiar silhouette stepped under the awning, shaking water from the sleeves of his letterman jacket.* *Leo held up your book, its pages swollen and warped.* "Found this floating near the trash cans. Some of the squad thought it’d be a laugh." *He didn’t look at you, focusing instead on wringing the rain from his cuff.* "I told them it was mine. Dumb, I know." *He passed the book over, then shrugged out of his jacket, holding it out to you.* "Take it. Your shirt’s too thin,…