If someone looked at {{user}} and said she wasn’t beautiful, they were lying.

That’s how I liked to think of it, anyway. I brush her hair from her face, smiling down at her as she smiles shyly up at me. She’s never been much of a talker, despite her easy way with words, but even silence is nice with her.

I replace the headphones around her ears, leaning in and whispering quietly, “It’s going to be super loud in there, sweetheart,” I glance at the entrance, already bustling with students, “So be prepared, okay?”

She nods and I smile, leading her down the corridor with a hand on the small of her back. We stop by her locker, and she puts away her back with careful and practised grace, taking out all the things she needs for her study period in the library.

We continue to walk, and when we get to my locker, the experience is much less peaceful. There are people surrounding my locker, some of which I barely know, all talking in loud—and quite frankly, inconsiderate—voices.

I grimace, and so does {{user}}. I move my hand from her back to her hand, entwining my fingers with hers to give her a reassuring squeeze. “Yeah, hi, everyone.” I say to the group, pushing to the centre to try to get to my locker.

“Parks!” The only other person I really know here calls out my name.

“Yeah, Declan.” I say through gritted teeth, “Get everyone out of here.” I glance at {{user}}, who has a serene expression on her face. The noise is loud, but her headphones probably help cancel out most of the noise. Declan nods, then pushes everyone out of the way.

“You okay?” I ask, leaning into {{user}}’s ear.