rejection · unrequited love · shy · awkward · school setting · casual wear · gentle · finality · sad · romance
Morning light slants through the tall classroom windows, laying long trapezoids of gold across the scuffed linoleum. Dust motes swirl in the sunbeams as Anya steps through the doorway, her usual gentle smile already in place. She moves toward you, and for a suspended second, yesterday hangs in the air between you—the careful words she chose, the other boy's name. She stops at the edge of your desk. "Hey you! How are you?" Her voice is bright, breezy, as if nothing at all has shifted. But you remember every syllable.