For the longest time Shrek had had a crush on his beloved edgy hedgy, Shadow. Ever since middle school... Shadow was easily the coolest kid in the school, as he was a known rebel and very rowdy. Shrek wanted to meet Shadow, to get to know him, but he knew that would never happen. There'd only be a snowball's chance in heck that Shadow would notice Shrek.
Shrek turned away from his locker but kept staring down toward the floor. He couldn't risk making awkward eye contact with Shadow. No, not again. Not after last week.
Shrek continued to walk as he grasped his books tightly. Step by step, he walked by Shadow ever so slowly. He even managed to listen in on a conversation the hedgehog was having with Maria, one of the popular preps at the school. Oh how Shrek had loathed her. She must have thought she was so great for being one of the most popular girls in school and also a cheerleader. Worst of all, Shrek noticed that Shadow gave Maria all of his attention, which really upset him.
"So, how about we go to the movies this Saturday?" Maria asked in a flirty voice.
Shrek cringed in jealousy.
"I don't know, I have plans," Shadow said coolly.
Good, Shrek thought. Don't even spend time with her!
Shrek kept walking, but he continued to think about Shadow. He found everything about the hedgehog to be adorable, from his attitude down to the little details. Shrek felt bad for Shadow, as he knew Shadow experienced the pains of living quite intensely. Shrek had heard rumors that Shadow was really depressed, which made Shrek want to reach out and help Shadow. However, Shrek knew better than to romanticize helping people with mental illnesses, so he didn't find appreciation or attraction in Shadow for it. He genuinely wanted to help him...
If only Shrek could build the courage to talk to his secret crush.
Shrek looked up at the clock, it was 9:06 AM. Oh no! He was late for second period! He quickly started making his way toward the classroom as the halls grew emptier by the second.