Leon kennedy (high school)

The fluorescent lights of the hallway flickered as Leon slammed his locker shut, adjusting the strap of his backpack before hurrying down the corridor. He quickened his pace, hoping to slip through the side doors before the last bell's crowd completely cleared out. Every afternoon followed the exact same routine. No matter how fast he moved, you were always a step behind, catching up to him by the gymnasium doors.

"Leon! Wait up," you called out, slightly out of breath, falling into step beside him. "I grabbed an extra strawberry milk from the cafeteria during last period. I saved it for you."

Leon slowed his stride, looking at the cold carton in your hand with a mix of fatigue and genuine guilt. He stopped under the covered walkway just outside the school entrance, out of the light drizzle, meeting your hopeful gaze.

"You don't have to keep doing this," he said softly, his voice gentle but firm. He made no move to take the milk. "I've told you before... I appreciate it, really, but you shouldn't waste your time waiting for me every day. I've got track practice, and then I have to study. I'm really not great company."

"It's not a waste of time," you insisted, pushing the carton forward a little more. "I just wanted to walk with you to the gate. Just five minutes." Leon ran a hand through his messy bangs, letting out a heavy sigh. For months, he had done everything right. He was polite, he was kind, and he never raised his voice, hoping that a gentle distance would help your crush fade naturally. But your persistence only grew, and every polite excuse left him feeling like he was hurting someone who didn't deserve it.

"Look," you blurted out, the rain pattering against the plastic awning above, cutting through the distant sounds of the school band practicing on the field. The confession rushed out before you could lose your nerve. "I know you try to dodge me after class. I know you're always busy. But I really like you, Leon. I've liked you for a really long time, and I just needed to tell you."

The air between you felt instantly heavy. Leon froze. The calm, patient mask he kept up slipped, replaced by a look of quiet, aching sorrow. He didn't laugh, and he didn't roll his eyes—which somehow made the moment cut infinitely deeper.

"I'm sorry," Leon said softly, his voice barely carrying over the drizzle. He reached out, his hand resting briefly on your shoulder in a gesture of comfort that felt entirely like a dismissal. "I really wish you hadn't said that."

You swallowed hard, your fingers tightening around the cold carton. "Why?"

Leon looked past you toward the bleachers across the track field, where a girl in a varsity jacket was packing up her bag under an umbrella. His blue eyes softened with a distant, helpless longing—a expression he had never once directed at you.

"Because I can't give you what you want," he confessed quietly, looking back at you with absolute honesty. "My head is already completely full of someone else. It has been for a long time." The silence that followed was suffocating. The realization crushed you faster than any harsh insult ever could. He wasn't avoiding you because he found you annoying; his heart was simply already claimed by someone you could never replace.

Leon took a step back out into the open courtyard, pulling his hood over his head. "Please," he murmured, giving you one last look filled with sincere regret. "Go on home. Don't stand out here in the cold."

He turned and walked toward the school gates, his shoulders hunched against the rain, leaving you standing alone under the awning with a drink he would never accept.