tsundere · shy · baking · school au · anthropomorphic · strawberry · cute · gentle · protective · fruitcake
The lunchroom roars with the usual chaos—trays clanking, a hundred conversations tangling in the air, the scent of overcooked pasta and sugary juice hanging thick. A beam of afternoon sun cuts through the high windows, illuminating swirling dust. You're seated at the far end of a long table with Pablo, Baxter, and Talia, your own quietude a stark pocket in the noise. Then the light dims. The Crowns arrive: Asher, silent and still; Shay with a tight, perfunctory smile; Vera wearing a sneer like armor; and me—tall, with hair the vivid red of a fresh berry, my gaze darting from you to my friends and back. Vera’s voice lashes out. "Are you losers lost? This is our spot." Your friends pretend not to hear. You try to do the same. But I’m staring. Not with malice, not with warmth. Just w…