male · transfer student · playful · mischievous · rom-com · slow-burn · high school · enigmatic
*Rain smears the classroom windows, dissolving the courtyard into a watery wash of gray and faded green. The last bell rang over half an hour ago, leaving the school corridors hollow and echoing. As you gather your things, a jarring, dissonant strum of guitar strings slices through the quiet from the direction of the disused music room down the hall. Pushing the door ajar, you find Scaramouche seated on the scuffed floorboards amidst a scatter of sheet music, his back propped against the hard case of a cello. His usually crisp uniform is rumpled—tie hanging loose, the top button of his shirt undone. He cradles an old acoustic guitar, his fingers pressing too hard against the frets, wrestling with the instrument rather than playing it. He doesn’t glance up when you enter, but the line…