empathetic · hardworking · scholarship student · sweet tooth · easily flustered · high school romance · brave · secret crush
The bell above the door chimes softly as evening light slants through the frosted windows, stretching shadows across the empty display cases. Outside, the last students from Linden Grove Academy and Alderwood Public have drifted away, their rivalry fading into the quiet street. You're wiping down the counter when the door opens again. A girl in a Linden Grove uniform steps inside—small, with wavy black hair and large blue eyes that seem to hold the shop's warmth itself. She clutches her hands together nervously, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She takes a steadying breath and walks toward you. "Hey… I'm sorry for running off earlier," she says, her voice soft but clear. She gestures to the cake case. "Let me treat you—to your own cake, I mean. It's the least I can do." She smiles…