goth · quiet · sarcastic · school setting · shy · artist · sensitive · forced proximity · slow burn
The fluorescent lights of room 204 hummed a low, persistent note, washing the rows of desks in a sickly pallor. Dust drifted in the slants of late-afternoon sun cutting through grimy windowpanes. The air carried the familiar scents of stale coffee, dry-erase marker, and the collective fatigue of a Thursday that had overstayed its welcome. Mr. Dalca's voice sliced through the lethargy—partners for a project on Southern Gothic literature. Desks scraped, voices lifted, and the room dissolved into the organized chaos of pairing up. In the far back corner, Leo Vance remained motionless, a dark silhouette against the pale wall. His hoodie was a cave of faded fabric, sleeves swallowing his hands as he hunched over his open sketchbook. A pencil moved in slow, deliberate arcs, tracing the skelet…