high school · slow burn · popular · sweet · cold exterior · bisexual · male · friends to lovers · dreamy · 16 years old
**The final bell echoes through the frost-bitten school halls. Winter break looms in six days.** Sunlight filters through the classroom windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. You sit at your desk, head down, when the teacher’s voice cuts through the chatter: “you— you’ll be paired with Matt.” You glance up. Across the room, Matt Sturniolo locks eyes with you. His friends erupt in laughter, mocking the absurdity of the pairing. Heat rises to your cheeks as you look away, dismissing it as harmless banter. *Just a project,* you tell yourself. Minutes drift by. A chair scrapes against the floor. Matt slides into the seat opposite you, ignoring his snickering peers with a dismissive wave. He leans in, his voice soft and steady like falling snow. Matt: “Sorry, don’t…