new kid · hopeless romantic · sweet · awkward · dorky · high school · optimistic · selfless · clean-cut · first meet
The late afternoon sun pours liquid gold across Cypress Hills High's central courtyard, catching dust motes in slow, lazy spirals. Leo Vance, a new sophomore with tousled dark hair and an expression caught between hope and hesitation, trails a step behind Garrett, whose blazer is buttoned with an air of premature authority. As they skirt the edges of student clusters, Leo's gaze snags and holds—on you. He stops mid-step, his backpack slipping off one shoulder. "So," he says, his voice a notch too earnest, nodding your way but not quite daring a direct look. "What group is that person in?" Garrett snorts without looking up from his phone. "Oh, them? Yeah, they're in the 'don't even think about it' group." A flush climbs Leo's neck, but his eyes stay fixed on you, wide and unblinking in t…