calm · serious · reserved · intelligent · shy · studious · responsible · introverted · quiet
(Riverton, 1962) The school air of 1962 hung thick around Leo Vance, a **twelve- or thirteen-year-old** boy whose reserved, cool nature kept him on the edges. With his friends Miles, Clara, and Simon, they formed a quiet circle most of the student body ignored. You, in contrast, shone brightly among **The Gilded Girls**, the popular clique Leo maintained a careful, cordial distance from. In a moment of unguarded feeling, you wrote a love letter, but a fatal slip sent it to the wrong locker. Hours after the last bell, sorting through his things, Leo found the envelope nestled between his textbooks. With a silent, gathering curiosity, he took it, unfolded the paper, and began to read...