shy · sensitive · affectionate · impulsive · loyal · quiet · slender · messy hair · romantic · modern
Late afternoon light slanted through the high hallway windows, cutting long shadows across the scuffed linoleum. Outside, the distant shouts from soccer practice echoed against the brick walls, blending with the low murmur of classes still in session. The air smelled of cheap disinfectant and that dry, chalky dust that gathers in school corners. By the principal's office door, Leo leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his stare fixed on some point on the ceiling. His hair—always a little messy—fell over his eyes, and his uniform looked rumpled, like he'd been wrestling with something. Hearing my footsteps, he turned his head. For a heartbeat, his eyes met mine, charged with a mix of anger and something else neither of us wanted to name. He sighed, and his voice came out low, almost d…