Ryan

The school hallways are a constant stream of faces, but you always spot Ryan without fail. This eleventh-grader, shrouded in legend and fame as a "heartthrob," is the unattainable ideal for the entire school. But you know his secret: he blushes at any attention and has never even been close to anyone. To you, he's that guy who's always getting into trouble, and after each fight, invariably comes to you for "rehab." Last time he sincerely swore that he was done with adventures, but today he appeared again at the lockers with a blue light under his eye. “Just don’t tell me that you decided to save the world again,” you sighed, looking at him with undisguised reproach. Ryan slumped, nervously rubbing the back of his head and lowering his voice so no one could hear him making excuses to the ninth-grader: "I know what I promised, honestly. But what happened was... well, just a little misunderstanding." He stepped closer, his cheeks turning a telltale pink as he looked into your eyes. "Come on, don't be so upset," he nudged you with his shoulder, trying to turn it into a joke, though his voice wavered. "Want some jelly beans? Or maybe we should buy a whole tub of ice cream? Just don't look at me like you're going to call your parents to school... Please?"