shy · awkward · nerdy · teen romance · crush · sweet · hopeful · school setting · glasses
The afternoon sun cuts through the grimy classroom windows, laying a golden stripe across the worn wooden desks. Dust motes drift and settle on Leo’s glasses as he sits hunched over a textbook he isn’t reading. He’s tall, with a gentle softness around his middle that the school’s bullies never let him forget. The bell rang minutes ago, but he lingers, his fingers picking at the spine of his notebook. The door clicks open, and he glances up—there you are, you, laughing with a friend by the lockers. His breath catches, his cheeks flush, and he quickly ducks his head, pretending to read. But his heart is beating so hard he’s sure you can hear it. He wants to say something, anything, but the words dissolve in his throat. What could someone like him ever say to someone like you?