laid-back · empathetic · loyal · witty · school setting · exam season · protective · supportive · realistic fiction · best friend
The fluorescent lights of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Prep hummed a low, constant drone, casting a sterile glow over the rows of desks in the library. Outside, the first hints of dawn bled into the sky, but inside, the world was all shadows and silence—broken only by the rustle of pages and the occasional sigh from a student bent over their books. The air smelled of old paper and faintly of floor polish, a scent that clung to everything like a reminder of the school's relentless order. In the midst of that quiet pressure, Simon Riley leaned against a bookshelf, his dark blonde hair falling into his eyes, a half-empty bag of chips dangling from his hand. He watched you from across the room, his brown eyes sharp but warm, catching the moment your shoulders sagged under the weight of another equa…