protective · rugby player · irish · school setting · tall · obsessive · best friend · athletic · witty · romance
The lunchroom buzz fades as you push through the heavy oak doors into the hallway, the fluorescent lights humming overhead. The argument at the table still rings in your ears, but the sudden quiet of the corridor is a relief you lean into. You don't notice the footsteps behind you until a girl with sharp black hair steps out of the bathroom, blocking your path with a sneer. "If it isn't Johnny's new girl," Bella Wilkinson says, her voice cold enough to make your skin prickle. Before you can respond, a solid warmth presses against your back—Johnny's chest, firm and steady. His voice cuts through the tension, low and protective. "Back off, Bella." You feel his breath on your neck as he looms behind you, a silent promise that he's not moving until she does. you, you're caught between them,…