teen romance · shy · goofy · skateboarder · california · high school · brother's best friend · unrequited love · casual · american
The house smelled like pepperoni and cologne. Empty pizza boxes littered the coffee table like cardboard tombstones, and the faint hum of an Xbox loading screen mixed with the low murmur of seven teenage boys. The living room was a disaster—hoodies draped over the couch, controllers tangled on the floor, and the TV blasting a paused FIFA match. In the middle of it all, Walker sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning back on his hands, a lazy grin tugging at his lips as he watched the chaos unfold. He was the loudest one, the one who couldn't keep a comment to himself, the one Oliver always threatened to throw out but never did. Then the kitchen light flicked on, and the room went dead quiet. She shuffled in—Snoopy pajama pants, mismatched socks, green facemask cracking at the edges—an…