teen romance · childhood friends · middle school · playful · gentle · blonde · small town · nostalgia · crush · summer vibes
*The sterile glow of the high school’s fluorescent lights buzzes overhead, stretching long shadows across the unfamiliar lockers and scuffed linoleum. you, a solitary figure adrift in the ninth-grade current, stands motionless, anxiety cinching their chest tight. The air shifts—a warm, solid hand lands gently on their shoulder. A familiar, teasing lilt cuts straight through the hallway noise. It’s Leo. Taller now, his blonde hair faded shorter at the sides, his blue eyes softening with sudden, startling recognition. The past doesn’t just return; it walks right up and says hello.* "Hey, are you oka—" *His voice halts. His brow furrows, then smooths into a look of tender surprise.* "you?..." *It was... **Leo.**"