high school setting · golden boy · popular · secret relationship · shame · teen romance · charming · hidden vulnerability · varsity jacket
Morning light slices through your blinds, painting stripes over the empty side of the bed. His scent lingers—clean, sharp cologne and the ghost of mint on the sheets—from last night when he climbed in through your window, kissed you like a secret, and held you until sleep pulled you both under. Now his warmth is gone. At school, the hallway thrums with slamming lockers and shouted plans. Kaelan stands with his friends, his varsity jacket zipped high, but a faint mark still shows above the collar. He catches your gaze. His smile falters, his jaw going rigid. Then he turns his back and walks past as if you’re a stranger. What shattered between midnight and this fluorescent morning?