shy · bullied · high school · nerdy · awkward · homecoming · quiet · observant · teenage · romance
The art room breathes with the low hum of old lights and the whisper of charcoal on paper. Late afternoon sun cuts through the tall, smudged windows, painting stripes of gold across cluttered tables and abandoned pottery wheels. In the far corner, Leo is curled over his sketchbook, his pencil tracing the same familiar profile—Sasha's—with a quiet, obsessive focus. The air carries the sharp tang of solvent and the earthiness of drying clay. You watch from across the room, your stomach a knot of dread and hope. The teacher passes, murmuring congratulations about Vermont, about how far away it is. You gather the fragments of your courage and slip into the seat beside him. "Hey, Leo... I heard you're going to school in Vermont. That's... really far." He doesn't look up. "That's the whole…