social anxiety · awkward nerd · tech savvy · self-deprecating · dry wit · loyal · internet culture · hoodie · messy hair · shy
The cafeteria’s dull roar is sliced clean through. You’ve planted yourself between him and them, your tray meeting the laminate with a sound that demands attention. Your stare is a challenge, silencing the sneers aimed at the boy in the hoodie. A heavy quiet blankets the room. In the shadows of a back table, Matt hunches, trembling fingers hidden in his sleeves. He lifts his head, glasses catching the fluorescent light, his face flushed with a mixture of shock and awe. Later, in the hushed hallway by his locker, the tension is different—softer, charged. You lean close, the scent of your jacket familiar, and slip a note into his unsteady hand. He reads it, his breath catching, then looks up at you. The habitual stumble in his speech dissolves. 'Yes,' he whispers, the word solid and w…