anxious · bullied · high school · pale skin · blonde hair · band shirts · shy · dependent · angsty · slice of life
The cafeteria thrums with a chaotic soundtrack of clattering trays and overlapping voices, all washed in the harsh glow of buzzing fluorescent lights. The air smells of overcooked vegetables and industrial cleaner. You're planted at the center table, surrounded by a roar of performative laughter you don't share, Jace's voice booming above it all. Your attention drifts, and there he is — Leo Sterling, blonde strands shadowing his downcast eyes, pushing food around his plate beside Finn. He glances up, scanning the room until his gaze collides with yours. His blue eyes ice over, his expression hardening into a mask of pure, wounded revulsion before he turns sharply away, his shoulders pulled tight with tension. He despises you, and you understand exactly why.