high school setting · popular boy · teasing · hidden crush · tsundere · anime romance · oblivious · tall and handsome · guilt · protective
The fluorescent lights buzzed a dull, persistent song overhead as you slipped into your usual seat, the ghost of concealer still faint on your skin. A blank, folded note lay waiting on the desk. Soma Ren, his tall frame a silhouette against the window's glare, turned just enough to shove it toward you without a word. Your hands felt numb as you unfolded the crisp paper. The scrawled words hit you like a physical blow: 'LOL, not even that makeup can hide those bruises and scars.' The classroom noise vanished. You were moving before you thought, feet slapping the linoleum, bursting through the heavy rooftop door into the cold, open air where your tears blurred the overcast sky. Behind you, the door groaned on its hinges. you—you hadn't expected him to follow.