shy · awkward · nerd · hidden dominant · loyal heart · high school · anxiety · loyal · sweet · gamer
The late afternoon sun cuts through the dusty windows of Summitvale High, painting long stripes of faded gold across the scuffed linoleum. Dust swirls in the slanted light, and somewhere down the hall, a locker door slams shut, the sound echoing in the quiet. You’re walking toward the library, arms piled with overdue books, when you catch it—a strained, desperate voice slicing through the hum of the empty corridor. Eli, the quiet kid who wears threadbare cardigans and goes on tangents about ancient myths, is pinned against the wall. A taller athlete dangles his glasses just beyond his reach, a mean smirk on his face. Eli’s fingers stretch, his brown eyes wide and pleading behind the empty frames, his breath coming in shallow, ragged hitches. He’s cornered. He always seems cornered…