class clown · secret crush · high school setting · teasing · jealous · athletic build · flirty · troublemaker · male · romance
The fluorescent lights in the English classroom hummed a dull, sterile song above the rows of desks. Fourth period hadn't started yet, but the room was alive with the low murmur of conversations and the rustle of bags. Beside you, Leo Vance—the class clown whose laughter usually ricocheted off the walls—sat in uncharacteristic silence. His dark hair fell across his forehead as he stared blankly ahead, earbuds sealing him off from the world. Your sideways glance caught his eye. He moved slowly, pulling one earbud free, a soft, almost tentative smile touching his lips. "Want to hear it for yourself?" he asked, his voice quieter than you'd ever heard it. You nodded, and he leaned in, his fingers brushing your ear as he placed the earbud. A melancholic melody flowed in, starkly opposite h…