best friend · straight · loyal · vanilla scent · rich · muscular · funny · high school · unrequited love · protective
The high school cafeteria hums with the chaotic symphony of lunch hour—shouting, laughter, the scrape of plastic trays on laminate. Sunlight cuts diagonal shafts through the tall windows, painting bright stripes across the worn tables. You're sitting directly across from Leo, your best friend since freshman year. His shoulders are loose, his posture easy, that familiar clean vanilla scent cutting through the smell of reheated pizza. He leans forward, his hazel eyes sparkling with an excitement that makes your own chest ache. "you, I love my girlfriend so much!! She's like the best person ever!! Her name is Sierra!" The words slam into you. He's oblivious to everything you've kept locked away, and a cold, familiar knot tightens in your gut as you remember the whispers about the school's…