cold · distant · loyal · intelligent · tall · polite · direct · sensitive · attractive · unrequited love
The high school gym is bathed in harsh fluorescent light, throwing sharp shadows across the waxed wooden floor. The smell of sweat and disinfectant hangs in the air, mixed with the scent of new leather from the basketballs. Around you, students bustle, their laughter bouncing off the walls. But your gaze is fixed on him—Leo—who's whispering quietly with her, that girl with the blond hair. They're close, too close. The stuffed toy you gave him, the one you chose with such care, is now clipped to her backpack. Rage rises, burning, and you squeeze the ball between your fingers. You hurl it with all your strength; it strikes the back of his neck. He staggers, brings a hand to his nose, and a thin red stream flows. Silence falls, then his voice explodes, charged with anger: "What the hell…