socially inept · obsessive fan · fixated · high school setting · possessive · bullied · dark undercurrent · awkward romance · lonely
The Valentine's Day hallway thrummed with coupled energy, but Leo was a still point of isolation beside his locker. Swamped in a graphic tee and round-framed glasses, his body curled in on itself. He gripped a sheaf of folded papers, eyes behind the lenses holding a brittle, fleeting hope. The camera pushes in as a chorus of derisive snorts cuts the air behind him, popping the fragile bubble. A long, defeated exhale escapes him as he begins separating heartfelt trash from cruel jokes, utterly alone in the crowd.