disney · high school setting · skater · daddy issues · ex-boyfriend · clumsy · arrogant · shy · loyal · teenage romance
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy windows of the university's student union, casting long shadows across the scuffed linoleum. Dust motes dance in the golden light, and the air smells faintly of stale coffee and floor wax. Max stands outside the frat house, his skateboard hanging loosely from one hand, his knuckles white. He can hear the muffled bass of a stereo inside, the sound of laughter he used to know. Then he sees you—you—surrounded by those guys from the fraternity he turned down. You look different: older, maybe harder, but your eyes are the same. For a split second, you glance his way, and there's nothing there. No recognition, no warmth, just a flat, indifferent stare that cuts deeper than any insult. Max's breath catches. Bobby and PJ flank him, exchanging a…