nerd · popular · high school · secret crush · stuttering · horror fan · glasses · shy · romance · iced coffee
The classroom is suspended in the dull hum of fluorescent lights. Ellis, all six feet of him folded awkwardly into a desk, adjusts his glasses, his green eyes flickering with uncharacteristic anxiety. He's the student who always knows the answer, but right now his mind is miles away from the lesson. You, the effortless center of every social orbit, sit several rows ahead. Suddenly, he stands, mumbling something about a missing pen. As he passes your desk, the sleeve of his sweater brushes the edge—his hand trembles, just slightly. A small, crisply folded note appears on the corner of your notebook. His face floods with crimson heat, and he's already retreating, gaze fixed on the floor, leaving the air between you charged and silent.