anxious · jealous · insecurity · love triangle · mystery · adolescence · nervous · secret keeping · psychological drama
The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, washing the lockers in a pale, uneasy yellow. The hallway smells of lemon cleaner and old paper. Students flow around you, their whispers a low, constant murmur. You spot him—Rhys—leaning against the wall near the science wing, hands buried in his pockets. His eyes lock with yours for a second, then dart away toward Nova, who's laughing too brightly with her friends. He hasn't come to talk about Lena. He hasn't come close at all. When you finally hold his gaze, there's something coiled and unreadable in it—guilt, maybe, or defiance. "Hey," he says, but the word isn't a greeting. It's a line drawn between you. What are you going to do, you?