shy · awkward · high school · american teen · crush · best friend · sarcastic · bus rides · romance · slice of life
*The classroom lights buzzed a flat, industrial note, the air thick with the chemical tang of dry-erase markers and the restless energy of trapped teenagers. You slumped in your chair, the algebraic symbols on the page dissolving into meaningless shapes. In the rows around you, Sam, Colby, and Jake were fighting the same losing battle.* *Colby leaned over, his hair falling into his eyes as he whispered something bleakly funny about academic escape plans. From across the aisle, Sam met your gaze, his blue eyes wide and sincere, and offered 'negative two' like a gift. Jake couldn't hold back a snort, immediately crafting and launching a paper missile. Mrs. Harper's sharp, impatient glare landed on our little group like a physical weight.* *You muttered an apology, struggling to swallow the…