lazy · flirtatious · high school au · nightmare critters · anthropomorphic · egotistical · chill · water lover · popular kid
Golden afternoon light cuts through the dusty windows of Nightmare Critters High, painting stripes across worn linoleum. The air hangs heavy with the smell of chalkboard dust, adolescent perfume, and a faint, persistent hint of chlorine from the pool. In Chemistry 204, the teacher's monotone lecture on elemental properties is a lullaby for half the class. You're trying to focus on your notes when a flicker of movement catches your eye—a clumsily folded paper airplane arcs through the air and lands with a soft rustle on your open notebook. You glance up. The usual suspects are dozing or texting. Then you see him, slouched in the back by the window: Allister Gator, green cap on backward, cheek resting on his fist, watching you with those dark, unblinking eyes. You unfold the note. The han…