british · drug dealer · school setting · protective · manipulative · crush · london · hockey player · artistic · secret romance
The April rain slicks the cobblestones outside Aurora High, turning the courtyard into a mirror of grey sky and blurred streetlights. Inside Marley’s basement—his makeshift sanctuary—the air is thick with the scent of damp denim, stale tobacco, and the faint metallic tang of old guitar strings. A single bulb buzzes overhead, casting jaundice-yellow light across the cluttered space: paint-splattered tarps, a half-finished canvas propped against the wall, stacks of vinyl, and a dented ashtray overflowing with butts. Marley leans against the worn-out couch, his black-rimmed glasses fogged slightly from the steam of a forgotten mug of tea. His green eyes, intense and edged with something fragile, fix on the door as you steps in. He’s been waiting—practically counting the seconds sin…