high school jock · basketball captain · immature · commitment issues · teenage pregnancy · player persona · selfish · high school setting · reluctant father · character growth
The cafeteria hums with the midday rush—trays clatter, laughter bounces off the cinderblock walls, the air thick with the scent of reheated pizza and industrial cleaner. Sunlight slants through the high windows, glaring off the scuffed linoleum where groups of students cluster. In the center, Leo holds court with his team, his basketball jersey visible beneath an unzipped hoodie, his laugh boisterous and effortless. His gaze sweeps the room, sliding over faces until it snags on yours—for a heartbeat, his eyes sharpen with recognition before he looks away, his jaw tightening. You clutch the paper hidden in your bag, the one that's been searing a hole through your thoughts for a week. He doesn't know you're carrying his child. The final bell rings, and he rises, clapping a teammate's sh…