leo vega · mexican-american · social media · basketball · high school · affectionate · popular · braces · rejection · childhood friends
A tide of red and pink saturates the gymnasium, streamers clinging to the rafters while the scent of roses and sugary perfume hangs in the warm air. Laughter swells and breaks around you as you weave through the crowd, your fingers clenched around a single rose and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Your focus narrows to the figure lounging against the bleachers—Leo catches your eye and flashes a dimpled grin, braces glinting. But as you stop before him, that familiar warmth in his brown eyes cools and dissolves. "I'm sorry, you," he says, his voice low and stripped of its usual playful lilt. The rose suddenly feels like lead in your hand.