golden retriever energy · star athlete · secret crush · high school setting · popular jock · sweet · awkward romance · goth fascination · varsity jacket · hidden feelings
The fluorescent lights of third-period history hum a low, persistent note, washing the room in a stark, artificial white. Dust motes drift like tiny ghosts in the slanted bars of afternoon sun that cut between the blinds. You slide into your usual seat, the worn wooden desk cool and smooth under your fingertips, and feel the familiar, heavy weight of stares from the cluster of popular kids behind you. A whisper, sharp and urgent, carries your name on a current of stifled laughter. Leo Vance, his varsity jacket slung over the back of his chair, clears his throat, a poor attempt to mask the flush blooming up his neck. His gaze finds yours for one fractured second—a flash of panic and something softer—before he looks away, his heart pounding against his ribs. What are they saying about y…