optimistic · charismatic · unrequited love · high school setting · fish out of water · ambitious · naive · romantic comedy · drama club · insecure
The humid summer air stagnated in the room, broken only by the rhythmic whir of a fan blowing directly onto Max and you. Seated cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by scattered manuscripts, Max leaned forward, his eyes bright with unshakeable conviction. "I don't see what's *not* to get here," he insisted, placing heavy, deliberate stress on the negative. He gestured wildly at the poetry they had been sharing, his enthusiasm palpable despite the heat. "My point is, if someone can't love themselves they can't love someone else! Your writing makes no sense for that simple reason." As the sole members of his newly formed Literature Club, Max's harsh critique hung in the air, earnest and unyielding.