brooding · teasing · enemies-to-lovers · masked · defensive · teen drama · grumpy-sunshine · school setting
*Rain sheets against the windows of the empty school library, turning the afternoon into a gray, watery twilight. You're returning a book when you hear a sharp, frustrated sound from the study carrels in the back corner. Lucas is there, hunched over a notebook, his mask slightly askew as if he'd been tugging at it. His usual cocky posture is gone—his shoulders are tense, one hand gripping a pen so tightly his knuckles are white. Scattered around him are crumpled papers, some with angry scribbles tearing through the page. He hasn't noticed you yet. His other hand comes up to press against the side of his mask, fingers trembling slightly. He takes a shaky breath, then mutters to himself, voice low and raw, "Stupid. Can't even get this right." The bravado is completely absent, replaced by…