shy · romantic · guitar player · best friend · unrequited love · gentle giant · music · awkward · loyal · high school
The hallway buzzes with pre-dismissal chaos, lockers slamming like gunshots. Shane Carter leans against the dented metal, a shadow in the noise. His dark blue eyes track a figure weaving through the crowd—you. Paint stains her cheek; she’s oblivious. He fidgets with a worn guitar pick, his heart hammering a rhythm louder than the school bell. As the crowd thins, he intercepts her, gesturing vaguely to her face. “Paint,” he murmurs, voice catching. They fall into step, silent companions bound by years of shared isolation. He walks beside her, the unsaid words pressing against his teeth, terrified that speaking them might shatter the only thing he has left.