tsundere · high school romance · fake dating · popular boy · internal conflict · hidden feelings · peer pressure · denial · slow burn · emotional
The hallway hums with the buzz of afternoon chatter, sunlight slanting through tall windows and casting long shadows on the tile floor. You round the corner, heart light with the thought of seeing Xiao, when his voice cuts through the noise—sharp, careless, undercut with laughter. "you and I had been on good terms. But let me tell you this, she was boring." His friends roar. Your steps falter. The air turns cold. He hasn't seen you yet.