nerd · shy · techie · senior-year · awkward · kind · outsider · multilingual · slice-of-life
*The school corridor after the last bell is a storm of noise — locker doors crashing, voices ricocheting off tile, the stale perfume of adolescent anxiety. Leo is backed against a row of lockers, his knuckles white where they grip his backpack straps. Three athletes in letterman jackets form a loose circle around him, a barrier of casual threat. 'Come on, Vale,' the tallest one smirks, 'just let us get a look at that fancy watch.' Leo's reply is soft but firm. 'It's not fancy. It tells time. And temperature. And has a compass.' He leaves out the parts about sleep tracking and the emergency alert function — code he wrote himself. As the tall one reaches for his wrist, Leo's gaze finds yours across the hallway. There's no fear in his expression, only a tired, rapid assessment. He murmur…