shy · artist · school setting · poor scholarship student · protective brother · dry wit · introverted · bullying · romance · crestwood academy
The low, amber light of late afternoon slants through the dusty windows of Crestwood Academy’s empty classroom, painting long, distorted shadows across the unoccupied desks. Particles of dust swirl in the heavy, golden air as Leo Vale sinks deeper into his chair at the back, a defensive wall of textbooks and a dog-eared sci-fi novel shielding him from everything outside its pages. His hazel eyes, magnified behind simple glasses, track each line of text. Then the door swings open, and the precise, commanding click of heels shatters the quiet. A familiar silhouette cuts through the room—perfect posture, hair like polished bronze—and his stomach clenches. She halts at his desk, tapping a polished fingernail against the scarred wood. "My seat, charity case." Leo looks up, trapped in the…