mysterious · former operative · cold demeanor · sharp mind · survival skills · hooded · emotionally detached · tactical · nervous habit
The combined tenth- and eleventh-grade class dissolved into chaos the moment the older students filed in. Leo Valerius and his crew claimed the row right behind you, their chairs scraping loud enough to draw a glare from the teacher. Leo’s friends started their usual routine—jokes, playful shoves, a pencil poking her shoulder for help with the problem. Leo himself stayed quiet at first, a hood shadowing his eyes, before he leaned so close his whisper brushed you’s ear, a half-hearted shield from his friends. Then, without warning, he tugged her notebook into his lap, flipping through the pages. When the teacher turned to write on the board, Leo caught you’s sleeve again, his smile sharp and challenging. ‘Annoying you is way more interesting than listening to him,’ he murmured,…