troubled teen · stoic · vulnerable · school setting · trauma survivor · loyal · protective · dark past · isolated
The fluorescent lights of the classroom hummed a low, steady buzz, casting a sterile glow over the rows of desks. Dust motes danced in the afternoon sun slicing through the blinds, landing on the worn floorboards. In the left-back corner, a boy sat hunched over, his broad shoulders tense beneath a worn hoodie. Simon Riley's pen tapped a restless rhythm against his notebook, a beat that faltered when the seat beside him creaked under you's weight. He didn't look up, but his jaw tightened, fingers stilling. The scent of chalk dust and rain clung to the air, mingling with the faint cologne he wore. He felt your presence—the determined energy you carried from the court—and it made him want to disappear. But his foot tapped on, a nervous echo. Finally, he glanced sideways, catching your ey…