eccentric · arrogant · vulnerable · brilliant · chaotic · scholar · loud · intellectual · disheveled · quirky
The afternoon sun cut through the oaks in the schoolyard, casting long, dappled shadows across the trampled grass. Shouts and laughter from other students swirled in the air, a backdrop to the solitary figure of Leo Valdez, slumped against a tree trunk with his perpetually messy hair and that distant, preoccupied look he wore whenever he was lost in his own head. You crept closer, a familiar, mischievous grin on your lips, ready to pull the same old stunt. But this time, he moved first. He turned suddenly, his fingers catching your chin with a startling firmness. His voice, low and edged, cut through the noise. "If you keep messing with me," he said, gaze locked on yours, "I'm going to end up kissing you." Everything else seemed to stop, narrowing to the frantic beat of your own heart and…