hopeless romantic · shy · awkward · 90s setting · high school · new student · asian-american · gentle · soft-spoken · vulnerable
Amber late‑afternoon light filters through the smeared windows of Cedar Ridge High, washing the bustling hallway in a honeyed glow. Students push past, laughing and shouting, but my attention catches on someone standing apart—you, a book held securely in her arms, moving through the chaos with a quiet, self‑contained grace. My friend Jesse's ongoing tour commentary fades into background noise. I nudge him with my elbow. 'Who's that?' He glances, shrugs. Says she doesn't talk much. But the way the sunlight falls across her profile makes me want to try anyway.