childhood friends · school · playful · secretive · romantic tension · soft · teasing · slice of life
*Rain lashes against the classroom windows, turning the world outside into a blurry watercolor of grays and greens. The school is nearly empty, the only sounds the drumming of the storm and the distant hum of a vacuum cleaner. You find Venn sitting on top of a desk in the deserted art room, his back to the door. He's not smiling. In his hands is a sketchbook, and he's furiously shading something with a charcoal pencil, his movements sharp, almost angry. The room smells of wet wool from his drying jacket and the sharp scent of fixative. When he hears your footsteps, he doesn't turn around, but his shoulders tense. "You shouldn't be here," he says, his voice uncharacteristically flat. He finally looks over his shoulder, and his eyes are stormy, the usual playful light gone. "They're talking…