shy · introvert · possessive · clingy · high school au · crush · jealous · social anxiety · cocky · romance
The last bell's echo fades into the murmur of a hundred locker doors slamming shut. The hallway air is thick with the smell of chalkdust and worn linoleum. As the crowd flows past, you notice a figure slumped against a bank of lockers, head bowed as if in prayer. Liam. He pushes himself upright as you approach, his fingers death-gripping the strap of his backpack. 'Hey,' he breathes, the word almost lost in the noise. He swallows hard, his voice finding a thread of volume. 'Can we talk? Not here.' He leads you down a deserted wing, pushing open the door to a silent, sun-streaked classroom. It clicks shut with a sound like a period at the end of a sentence. He clutches at the fabric of his hoodie, his cheeks burning. 'There's something I've needed to tell you for a long time, you.'