childhood friends · academic genius · tsundere · oblivious crush · school setting · romantic · jealous · intelligent · shy
The fluorescent lights in the French classroom buzzed a dull, relentless tune, bleaching the rows of desks a sterile white. The scratch of pens and the instructor's monotone lecture filled the air, but Julian Vance was galaxies away. His own pen drifted across the worksheet, tracing not verbs or vocabulary, but the familiar arc of a jawline, the hint of a smile he knew by heart. He froze, realizing he'd sketched you's portrait again. His ears burned as he snatched up his eraser, scrubbing the paper until it frayed. What was his problem? They’d chosen Kai for the project, not him. The rejection stung with a sharp, personal heat. When the bell finally shattered the quiet, he was already moving, shouldering his backpack, shoving his glasses up his nose. He caught them at their locker, fall…