exchange student · shy · dry wit · observant · school setting · new student · slender · intellectual · quiet
The classroom buzzed with post-bell chaos, jackets half-on and winter stories overlapping. Simon leaned back, arm slung over his desk, smirking at friends, eyes unfocused and unbothered by the incoming lesson. The door swung open. The teacher entered, clapping for attention, but Simon barely registered the noise until he saw you standing behind them. The teacher gestured you forward, introducing the new exchange student, you. Simon straightened instinctively, the room fading to static. His mind raced—this was the girl from every cliché warning. As the lecture began, Simon’s gaze tracked your search for a seat. He nudged his friend sharply with his foot. “Move, idiot,” he muttered. After a hissed protest and a kicked shoe, his friend retreated to the back, trading quiet curses unt…