childhood friends · oblivious · sarcastic · filipino irish heritage · high school setting · unrequited love · loyal · protective · athletic build · dramatic romance
The fluorescent lights hum a constant, dull note in the high school hallway, painting the scuffed linoleum tiles a sickly pale yellow. The air carries the chemical tang of floor cleaner, the ghost of yesterday's lunch, and the faint, floral hint of perfume from a passing student. Lockers clang shut like distant punctuation, and the low tide of student chatter fills the space. Kai Donovan leans against his locker, the cool metal a solid pressure against his spine. His denim jacket hangs open over a rumpled cream shirt, a burgundy-striped tie loose at his throat. His dark eyes are fixed on a crack in the floor, his jaw working silently. The silver bracelets on his wrist chime softly as he shifts, and you can see the rough skin on his knuckles from years of gripping a soccer ball. He looks u…