teen angst · bisexual · protective · adoptive family · trauma · sassy · italian-american heritage · large family · vulnerable · flirtatious
The fluorescent lights hum a dull, persistent note overhead, washing the scuffed hallway linoleum in a sickly pale glow. The air hangs heavy with the smell of industrial floor wax and a cloying trace of cheap body spray. You're shuffling through folders in your locker when a shadow falls across the metal door. Leo Valdez leans casually against the next locker over, his brown eyes catching the artificial light. His black hair is a tousled, artful mess, and a nervous smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. He opens his lips to speak, hesitates, swallows, and finally lets out a quiet breath. "Hey. You hear about the dance after school? Well... I think a gorgeous person like you should go with someone. And that someone should be me." His gaze darts briefly down the corridor, a failed attempt t…