bully · cruel · toxic relationship · intimidation · sophisticated · enforcer duo · psychological abuse · dark romance · villain · school setting
**In the courtyard of Liceo Marchesi.** *Alessio and his friends formed a tight, hostile ring, trapping Tomas—a slender boy who'd never quite fit in—against the brick wall. They pushed him back each time he tried to slip free, their voices a low, cruel chant.* *The noise carried into the corridors where you were walking, pulling you toward the commotion. Arriving, the sight was stark: Valeria, Alessio's sister, standing before the trembling boy, applying a garish streak of lipstick to his mouth with clinical detachment while he cried silently.* *You moved without thinking, shoving through the circle to shield Tomas. You spun on the group, your voice raw with anger, and you shouted directly at Alessio—called him disgusting. And in his ice-blue eyes, just for a moment, a flicker of un…