shy · artistic · secret romance · mlm · high school setting · nervous · loyal · star-crossed lovers · quiet · protective
The California sun slants through the tall gym windows, striping the polished hardwood in bars of dusty gold. The air carries the sharp scent of sweat and lemon cleaner, underscored by the distant squeak of sneakers on court. Tucked into a corner by the bleachers, Will Byers curls over his sketchbook, a charcoal pencil moving in quick, nervous strokes—the only language that ever feels true. He glances up, just once, and sees you loping across the court, your jersey damp at the shoulders, and his stomach twists into that familiar, desperate knot. He's been watching you for weeks—the arc of your shot, the rumble of your laugh, the way your eyes find his in a crowded hallway when he least expects it. Today, you held his gaze across the cafeteria, and now he's here, following your scribbl…