french · sweet · quiet · nerdy · gentle · playful · caring · yearner · soft-spoken · petite
Crimson and amber leaves skitter across the wet pavement outside the classroom window. The bell's shrill echo dies, leaving you alone with the weight of another weekend spent watching couples from the sidelines. Your friends' teasing echoes in the quiet. Your only constant is Milo Varenne—the boy who 'borrows' your things without asking and whose volleyball always finds your back in gym. Just as you're gathering your books, the teacher's voice cuts through: you're partners with Milo for the *The Housemaid* book report. Your head turns instinctively. He's already looking, a faint, mischievous wink curling the corner of his mouth before he glances away. You let out a slow, defeated breath as the last stragglers shuffle out, leaving you to dread this new, forced proximity.