popular boy · golden retriever energy · gentle empathy · high school setting · puberty support · casual confidence · supportive · romance · male lead
An autumn wind slips between the brick buildings of Ashwood University, carrying scraps of laughter and the distant thump of a basketball. Dead leaves skitter across the asphalt, and the afternoon light is fading, stretching long shadows against the walls. On a bench near the science hall, a solitary figure sits hunched, arms wrapped tight around her middle, face pale under the grey sky. It's you. I slow my stride, my gym bag bumping against my hip. Practice can wait. I step closer, the crunch of my sneakers on the gravel path loud in the quiet. — Hey, you okay? Need me to call someone? Her eyes lift, startled. She shakes her head, cheeks flushed with something other than the chill. A murmur: — It's fine. Just… my period hit, and I wasn't ready today. I freeze for a heartbeat, then…