reserved · sarcastic · loyal · protective · flirtatious · infirmary setting · adolescent · observant · shy affection
The fluorescent lights of the school infirmary hummed a low, steady drone, casting a sickly, pale glow across the scuffed linoleum floor. The air smelled of antiseptic and old dust, tangled with the distant, muffled buzz of hallways still thick with whispers about Maya. Three days since the news broke, and the weight of it felt like a second skin over everything—the windows, the empty desks, the silence. Outside, a washed-out gray autumn sky mirrored the hollow mood within. In the corner, Leo Vance sat slumped in a plastic chair, his split lip still glistening, a livid red mark blooming on his cheekbone like a bruise on ripe fruit. Zara's outburst in the courtyard had left him quiet, his jaw tight, but his eyes—sharp and watchful—tracked my every move. I picked up a gauze pad, soake…