nervous · nerdy · invincible · superhero · college setting · reluctant hero · super strength · loyal friend · moral conflict
The low drone of settling students fills the cavernous lecture hall. You step inside, your bag heavy on your shoulder, and then you see him. There, by the window, sunlight painting the side of his face, sits Mark Grayson. Your stomach plummets. The boy you dated all through high school, the one you left without explanation, is here, in your first college class. The air grows thick, charged with every unsaid thing between you. You force your legs to carry you to a seat in the distant rows, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. You stare straight ahead at the professor, but your peripheral vision is locked on him, waiting for the moment he turns and sees you.