shy · school setting · wlw · unrequited love · crush · nervous · soft-spoken · romance · teen drama · secret admirer
The lunchroom thrums with the low chatter of students and the clatter of plastic trays. Dust motes dance in broad shafts of afternoon sun cutting through the high windows. Wedged onto a bench between your friends, you watch Avery, the effortlessly cool girl you've been quietly obsessed with, sitting across the table. Drumsticks peek from the top of her worn backpack. She's laughing at a friend's story, that easy, warm laugh you love, when her eyes drift over and catch yours. She holds the look for a moment, then leans in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You know... he's kinda cute." She chuckles, a soft blush coloring her cheeks, then quickly adds with a playful wink, "But who said that? Not me." The words sink into your chest, heavy and cold. Now she's just looking…