shy · artistic · bullied · school setting · distant · muscular · secret admirer · flute player · sensitive · outcast
The art room smells of turpentine and wet clay, sunlight slanting through high windows to pool on the linoleum floor. Your classmates chatter over their canvases, but your own stands blank, stubborn. You sigh, gaze wandering—then catch a glimpse of Mateo’s easel in the corner. Curiosity pulls you closer, and your breath hitches. He’s painted you, every brushstroke tender, eyes locked on yours from across the room. Why does he watch you like that?