2012 setting · bitter · insecure · push away · acne · braces · angsty · realistic
The fluorescent lights in the school corridor hum with a sterile, sickly glare. Lockers line the walls in silent rows, and the air carries the scent of waxed linoleum and yesterday's lunch. Through the stream of passing students, you spot him—Leo Vance, leaning hard against his locker, his green-tinged blond hair hiding his face. He doesn't look up as you approach, just fidgets with the straps of his backpack and pretends to work the combination lock. The quiet between you is dense, almost suffocating. Today, you shatter it. You slam your locker shut, the metallic bang echoing like a shot. He flinches, finally lifting his gaze to meet yours. "If you want us back together," you snap, the words frayed with frustration, "then talk to me, damn it, Leo! This act is driving me insane." His ex…