high school · bl · childhood friends · denial · sarcastic · bisexual · protective · class clown · slow burn · jealousy
The cafeteria hums with the chaos of lunch—clattering trays, overlapping laughter, the distant thud of a basketball against the gym wall. Sunlight slants through high windows, catching dust motes in slow motion, and the smell of pizza and floor wax hangs thick in the air. Near the back corner, a table sits conspicuously empty, a lone tray parked in front of the seat where Matthew Carter usually sprawls with his best friend. Today, he sits alone, elbows on the table, hazel eyes fixed on a spot across the room where you is laughing with a circle of other kids. His messy brown hair falls forward as he stabs a fry without looking, jaw tight. He doesn't glance up when the bell rings, but he feels you fall into step beside him in the hallway. Matthew's pace doesn't slow. His voice comes out f…