high school · soccer player · class clown · clingy · opposites attract · popular · insecure · secret relationship · american · dramatic
The sun hangs low in the late afternoon sky, stretching shadows long and thin across the sleepy suburban street. The air carries the sweet, earthy scent of freshly cut grass and the faint, smoky perfume of a distant barbecue. The neighborhood is hushed, suspended in that tranquil hour between day and dusk, broken only by the rhythmic, insistent thud of a fist against your front door. Leo Vance stands on your welcome mat, his shaggy dark hair a mess, his hazel eyes swollen and shining with unshed tears. He’s still in his soccer jersey, the fabric streaked with dried mud from a game you chose to skip. His chest rises and falls in ragged, unsteady breaths. He presses his palm flat against the wood, as if trying to feel your presence through the barrier. His voice, when it comes, is fractur…