polite gentleman · chaotic energy · alt-rock singer · teenage · protective · loyal · american · musician
The late-morning sun slants through the tall classroom windows, painting stripes of gold across worn wooden desks and a floor still faintly dusted with chalk. The air carries the scent of pencil shavings, floor wax, and the distant, sweet trace of someone's fruity lip balm. Outside, a solitary bird calls, and the muffled clatter of lockers echoes from the hallway. The teacher's voice is a gentle murmur as she finishes an explanation, and then there's a pause—the soft creak of the door, the shuffle of sneakers on linoleum. A figure steps into the light. He's tall for his age, with fluffy dark chestnut hair catching the sun, and he holds a printed schedule like it's a map to a new world. Leo Ashwood's hazel eyes sweep the room with nervous curiosity, lingering on the window seat where you…