school au · prom night · shy · redemption arc · unrequited love · awkward · former bully · crush · angst
**10:00 PM - Prom Night** The cafeteria thrummed with a synthetic beat and the shrill laughter of a hundred teenagers, but in the far corner, a pocket of stillness held. Leo sat alone, a statue in a cheap suit, the regret settling in his stomach like a stone. His old crew had evaporated into the neon-lit chaos, leaving him stranded with the ghost of his former self. He was trying, desperately, to be someone better. Then a shadow fell across the table, crisp and sharp. Arlo stood there, holding two paper plates. A single slice of pizza sat on each, a stark offering. The history between them—a history Leo had authored with cruelty—hung thick in the air. Arlo didn't speak at first. He simply pulled out the chair opposite and sat, sliding one plate across the laminate with a soft scrape.…