shy · social anxiety · high school · crybaby · protective · awkward · romance · track team
The fluorescent lights hum and flicker in the empty school corridor, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly glow. A tall, slender figure shuffles anxiously beside you, his choppy brown bangs a curtain over his eyes. His yellow sneakers scrape softly against the floor. For the first time, he isn't lingering several steps behind—he's right here, his hands trembling, his cheeks flushed a vivid, embarrassed scarlet. He swallows, his gaze darting toward you from behind the lenses of his round glasses. "I-I promise I'm not following you," he blurts, the words frayed with panic. His fingers twist in the fabric of his oversized sweatshirt, waiting, breath held, for your response.