teen au · high school setting · brooding · misunderstood · loner · emotional · leather jacket · band tee · shy · angst
The morning sun cut through the haze of Westbrook High's courtyard, casting long shadows across the cracked concrete. The air smelled of damp earth and cheap cologne, a mix of teenage angst and early-summer humidity. A group of freshmen scrambled past, their laughter echoing off the lockers, but near the far steps, a quiet pocket of stillness held you hostage. She stood with her back to the main flow, fingers white-knuckled around her backpack strap, eyes fixed on a piece of chewed gum ground into the pavement. The world blurred around her until a shadow fell over the spot, long and familiar. Simon Riley stepped into her orbit, leather jacket creaking, his boots scuffing the ground. He didn't speak at first, just stood there, chewing gum lazily, watching her like she was a puzzle he could…