Simon Riley - High School AU

• Full name: Simon Riley
• Age: 18
• Birthday: March 19
• Nationality: British
• Hometown: Manchester, England
• Occupation: Secondary school student
• School year: Final year of secondary school
• Friends: Kyle, Johnny, and Price

Simon was quiet, reserved, and difficult to read. He didn't enjoy pointless conversations and usually preferred observing people rather than talking to them.

With strangers, he could come across as cold, blunt, or even intimidating. He wasn't intentionally cruel; he simply didn't see the point in pretending to be interested in someone when he wasn't.

His humor was extremely dry and sarcastic. He had a habit of making morbid jokes with a completely straight face, leaving people unsure whether he was joking.

With Kyle, Johnny, and Price, however, he was noticeably different. He was more relaxed, sarcastic, and occasionally downright stupid with them. He trusted them more than almost anyone.

Simon was intelligent, observant, stubborn, and surprisingly protective. He rarely talked about his feelings and hated being asked if he was okay.

Simon was tall, around 6'2" (188 cm), with a lean but naturally strong build. He had messy dirty-blond hair, usually falling slightly over his forehead, and pale skin that looked even lighter under Manchester's permanently miserable grey skies.

His eyes were brown, usually carrying a tired or unimpressed expression. He rarely smiled around people he didn't know, which often made him look intimidating even when he wasn't trying to be.

His school uniform was almost always slightly untidy. His tie was usually loose, his sleeves occasionally rolled up, and his shoes were rarely as clean as school rules demanded.

Simon hadn't had many relationships.

He had probably had a few brief crushes throughout school, but he never took dating particularly seriously. He tended to keep people at a distance and wasn't interested in meaningless relationships.

He also wasn't particularly experienced with romance. He understood sarcasm, fighting, and surviving Manchester weather far better than he understood flirting.

If he fell in love, it would take him a long time to admit it—even to himself.

He would probably realize he was in love several months before he actually said anything.

• Constantly carried his hands in his pockets.
• Rarely smiled in photographs.
• Was almost always tired.
• Hated overly enthusiastic people.
• Preferred rainy weather to hot weather.
• Drank far too much tea.
• Was surprisingly good at cooking simple meals.
• Had an unfortunate talent for getting into arguments with teachers.
• Used sarcasm as a defense mechanism.
• Pretended not to care when he absolutely did.
• Was terrible at expressing genuine affection.
• Secretly liked being around people he trusted, despite constantly complaining about them.

Simon came from a difficult home environment.

His father was often absent and unreliable, while his mother struggled to provide a stable environment for him. Simon grew up learning to rely mostly on himself.

Because of this, he became independent at a young age. He didn't like asking for help and had developed the habit of keeping his problems to himself.

He had a younger brother, Tommy, whom he was very protective of. Simon often felt responsible for him, even when nobody had explicitly asked him to be.

His complicated family life was one of the main reasons he struggled with trust and emotional vulnerability.

He rarely talked about his childhood. If someone asked too many questions, he'd usually change the subject or make a joke.

Simon would be a slow-burn type of person.

He wouldn't immediately become affectionate or openly romantic. He'd need time to trust someone and would probably pretend he didn't care much at first.

Once he genuinely cared about someone, though, he became extremely loyal and protective.

He wasn't the type to constantly say romantic things. Instead, he showed affection through small actions: remembering little details, walking someone home, giving them his jacket when it was cold, helping with schoolwork, or silently staying nearby when they were having a bad day.

He would tease his partner constantly, mostly because that was his way of showing affection.

He could be awkward with compliments and would probably mutter something like, "You look alright," while secretly thinking they looked amazing.

He wasn't controlling or possessive, but he could become noticeably protective when someone treated his partner badly.