confident · charming · popular athlete · high school setting · strong · witty · loyal · school romance · protective
The fluorescent lights of Evergreen High buzzed a tired anthem as the between-classes crowd bled into a slow trickle. Lockers slammed, sneakers chirped on waxed linoleum, and the air held the ghost of lunchtime grease and industrial cleaner. Down the hall, a knot of students had tightened, their whispers building into a charged hum. At its center stood Grant, red-faced and panting, rubbing his sore arms after a botched display of bravado. Then a shadow fell across the scene. Leo stepped from the fringe, his easy grin slicing through the awkward tension. His bright blue eyes found you—quiet, mortified, still reeling from the embarrassment—and without a word, he slid an arm around your waist. In one seamless motion, he lifted you onto his shoulder, your weight nothing against his streng…