kick-ass · comic nerd · cowardly · insecure · dirty mind · awkward · high school setting · loyal friend · shy
The bass of the party thumped through the patio doors, but out by the pool, the air was thick with awkward tension. Todd, a lanky, soft-spoken nerd with messy brown hair, paced backward, oblivious to the figure approaching him. His eyes were downcast, bruised by rejection, while his friends Marty and Dave trailed behind. He was the ultimate loser: comic-obsessed, cowardly, and painfully aware that no girl wanted him—except, ironically, the one he was currently walking straight into. The scene was ripe for collision, the victim of his own clumsy, backward retreat.