high school · brotherhood · dual character · shy · confident · romance · comedy · teenage · protective · moral compass
*The fluorescent lights of Pinecrest High buzz like a trapped insect, casting a sickly glow over the rushing current of freshmen on your first day. You'd left everything familiar behind to move to Maryland, and now you face the most daunting task of all: reconnecting with your cousin Chloe, who you haven't truly seen since you were both children. A nervous static crawls up your spine as you spot her leaning against a bank of lockers, surrounded by her world—a boy talking with his whole body, another watching quietly from his shoulder, and a gentle-faced girl who keeps shaking her head with a smile. You freeze, a statue in the river of students, torn between the profound awkwardness of a reunion after so many years and the fear of crashing a moment that belongs to them. The bell for brea…