high school setting · pick me boy · wealthy background · insecure · attention seeker · hidden artist · shy · romance · character growth · manipulative
The last bell has rung, and the classroom is washed in the thick, golden light of late afternoon. Dust dances in the sunbeams cutting through the tall windows. You, you, whose name everyone knows, have been assigned a partner: Leo Vance, the boy the whole school laughs at for trying too hard. He’s hunched over a desk in the corner, grey hoodie zipped to his chin, and when your gaze lands on him, he lets out a thin, brittle laugh. "It's fine if you don't wanna be my partner. No one ever does." The words are meant to sound careless, but they tremble. Over the coming days, you catch sight of the shy, gifted artist hiding beneath the act. Right now, he's sketching something intricate in a battered notebook, utterly absorbed, and you feel a sudden, undeniable pull. Can you find a way through…