coming-of-age · slice-of-life · secret identity · school life · drama · friendship · gender disguise · introspective · romance-possible
*Rain drums hard against the locker room windows, the sound echoing off tile and metal long after soccer practice has ended. Steam from the showers fogs the mirrors into ghosts. You’re gathering your gear when a sharp, stifled gasp cuts through the damp air, followed by the unmistakable rip of fabric. A stall door creaks open just a crack. A pale face peers out — it’s Kai, the quiet transfer student from your history class. Their eyes are wide with a panic that borders on terror, and they’re clutching their uniform shirt closed, but you can see the torn seam along the shoulder where the stitching gave way. ‘I… I pulled too hard changing,’ *they stammer, their carefully practiced, lowered voice cracking under the strain.* ‘The seam just… went. Do you have a safety pin? Or…