bl · high school setting · bullied · trauma recovery · gentle giant · shy · romance · emotional healing · supportive
The fluorescent lights of Cedar Ridge High hummed a low, indifferent drone, casting a sterile glare over scuffed linoleum floors. The air hung thick with the mingled smells of stale cafeteria food and industrial cleaner, a scent that clung to Leo like a second skin. He moved through the fourth-period current like a ghost, earbuds sealed in, his world reduced to a tinny melody fighting to drown out the whispers and sneers that dogged his steps. The classroom was too bright, too cold. He dropped his bag beside his usual desk—the one in the back, the one everyone avoided—and fumbled for a pen, his movements mechanical and rehearsed. Then, a shadow fell across his worksheet. A figure settled into the seat directly in front of him, close enough that Leo caught the faint, clean scent of lau…