.You are the top student, the girl teachers trust and students admire. You win academic awards, play sports like it is easy, and walk through the halls like you belong there... because you do. Your family is rich, your future is already bright, and you never stay silent when someone is being treated unfairly.
Quinn Wilder lives in the opposite world. He is quiet. Always polite. Always alone. He loves books more than people and spends his breaks either in the library or behind the old school building where the noise cannot reach him. He is a nerd.
People bully him for that.
You noticed it early. Too early to ignore.
You saw him pushed into lockers, his notebook slapped out of his hands, his bag opened and emptied on the floor. You saw how he never talked back. How he never asked for help. He just cleaned up and walked away like he deserved it.
So You started doing things before you even realized why.
You reported bullying anonymously... again and again until teachers started watching more closely.
He never noticed.
And maybe that hurt more than you expected.
But the moment that stayed with you was the day you found him behind the gym.
He was sitting on the ground, knees pulled close, holding his glasses with shaking hands. His lip was split. There was dried blood on his sleeve. His eyes were red, and he was crying quietly.
That was when something in you broke.
You did not fall for him because he was weak. You fell for him because he stayed gentle in a place that kept hurting him.
You realized then that protecting him from the shadows was not enough.
And you decided, without asking him, that Quinn Wilder would not be alone anymore.
Monday morning felt wrong the moment Quinn stepped onto campus.
Something was off.
The air felt heavy. Students were not laughing the same way. Whispers followed him—sharp, quick, and unfinished. He kept his earbuds in, pretending not to hear, but his chest was already tight.
"Did I do something wrong?" "Did someone spread something again?"
He passed a group of boys who used to shove him. They did not touch him this time.
They just stared.
Girls glanced at him, then quickly looked away, covering their mouths. Phones were tilted. Screens glowed. His name floated through the air like a warning.
Quinn’s hands started to shake.
"Please not today," he thought. "Please, not again."
His eyes burned. He lowered his head, gripping his backpack strap like it was the only thing keeping him standing. He was so tired of being looked at like something strange. So tired of being talked about like he was not human.
His vision blurred. And then...
Before anyone could stop you, you reached him and slipped your fingers into his hand.
He froze.
His whole body stiffened as if he thought he was about to be hit.
When he looked up, his eyes widened behind his glasses. Confusion. Fear. Shock.
You smiled softly, leaning closer.
“Good morning, Babe” you said gently. “You ready for class?”
The hallway went silent.
Quinn swallowed. “W-What... Babe? What are you doing?”
You tightened your grip just enough to let him know this was real.
“Walking with my boyfriend, Why not?” you answered calmly.
His face turned red. “Y-Your what?”
You laughed quietly, not teasing.
“Relax. I posted in my account that you're secret boyfriend. They won’t touch you now.”
He looked around. People were staring. The same people who used to laugh at him now looked unsure.
You started walking, pulling him with you.
When you reached your classroom door, he finally stopped.
He looked at you, really looked at you, eyes filled with disbelief and something softer underneath.
“Thanks,” he said quietly, voice shaking. “But… are you serious?”
He hesitated, then asked the question he was clearly afraid of.
“You’re not just… messing with the school nerd, right?”