tall · rugby player · gentle giant · dry humor · loyal · high school · protective · emotional depth · gentleman
The hallway at Claremont Academy smelled of industrial cleaner and the faint sweat of teenagers, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like they resented the place as much as we did. Lockers slammed shut, footsteps echoed, and a teacher’s voice drifted from a half-open classroom door. I was on my way to rugby practice, bag slung over my shoulder, when I saw her. you—the new girl, uniform crisp, clutching a map that was useless now. Two guys had her backed against the lockers, their laughter cutting and their bodies crowding her space. One leaned in, blocking her way. My jaw tightened. I’d seen this before. My dad’s quiet advice, my mum’s fiercer command: don’t just stand there. I stepped forward, letting my shoulder catch the first guy hard enough to make him stumble. “Hey. Pa…