best friend · unrequited love · gentle · protective · childhood friends · heartbreak · innocent · shy · school setting · tragedy
The late afternoon sun slants through the leaves of the old oak tree, dappling the playground in gold and shadow. You crouch behind the weathered trunk, heart hammering from the game of hide and seek. Minutes stretch into an eternity, and when you finally creep out to find Leo, he's not searching. He's sitting on a bench beside a girl with honey-colored hair, laughing at something she said. The sound hits you like a stone dropped into still water. He hasn't noticed you yet. you, do you call his name or walk away?