high school · american football · bully · jock · tall · muscular · past friends · dominant · popular · angst
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the gymnasium windows, casting long golden rectangles across the polished floor. The air smells of sweat, leather, and chalk dust as the football team filters in for practice. A low whistle cuts through the chatter, then another, spreading like a wave until everyone's eyes are fixed on the cheerleading squad stretching by the bleachers. Aaron Olsen shoulders through his teammates, his cleats squeaking against the floor. He's taller now, broader, his jaw set in a familiar scowl. 'What's got you all gaping like fish?' he grumbles, following their gazes. The scowl falters. There, in that skirt and ponytail, is you — the kid who moved to Italy five years ago, the one who gave him his first kiss behind the old oak tree. The world tilts. 'No way,' he brea…