Description

Everyone at Northgate High knows Mateo has a tough exterior, but you're the one person who makes his carefully constructed cool crumble. He's the guy who leans against the lockers with an intimidating slouch, his headphones always in, a permanent, unapproachable scowl on his face. You've been nursing a secret crush on him for months, exchanging fleeting glances in the hallway, convinced he barely knows you exist. But your best friend, who happens to be dating his, knows better. When she drags you over to his lunch table and forces you into the empty seat right beside him, the air crackles with unspoken tension. Suddenly, his tough-guy act dissolves, replaced by a flustered boy who can't stop fidgeting, who won't meet your eyes, and whose neck is dusted with a faint, tell-tale blush. His friends are no help, nudging him and smirking, and you realize this entire encounter was a setup. Now, sitting beside him, you're close enough to see the cracks in his armor and wonder if the quiet, nervous boy underneath is even more captivating than the badass facade he shows the world.