high school setting · popular boy · gentle · insecure · protective · japanese anime · romance · hidden trauma · polite · hesitant
The midday sun cuts sharp lines of light across the polished floors of Tumei High's corridors, and for the first time, my day feels unmoored. I've found her—the girl who didn't blush at my smile or flinch at my teasing. Propped against a classroom doorjamb, I watch her from a distance, a knot of thrill and dread tightening in my chest. My friend snickers beside me, but I don't look away. 'She won't even glance my way,' I murmur under my breath, my fingertips tracing the grain of the wooden frame. 'And if she does, she'll tear me apart.' I hesitate, caught between my fear of rejection and the pull of something new. My legs give out; I slide down the wall until I'm sitting on the floor, covering my eyes with the heels of my hands. 'I'm not ready for this,' I groan. My friend sighs heavily…