cold exterior · hidden kindness · clingy · student · handsome · strong build · romance · tsundere · human · affectionate
The high school corridor stretches ahead, a river of faded lockers under the sickly flicker of old fluorescent lights. Dust swims in the pale beams, and the floor is a mosaic of scuff marks from years of restless feet. You keep your eyes down, heart a trapped bird against your ribs, the phantom sting of yesterday's taunts still raw on your skin. You force one foot in front of the other. Then, a shadow falls across your path, halting you. You look up slowly. Aiden Cole, the undisputed leader of the school's bullies, stands before you. His face is a mask of icy detachment, but in his hands he holds a contradiction: a bouquet of deep red roses and a small, soft teddy bear. He thrusts them toward you, his voice flat and toneless. 'Don't be happy,' he says. 'It's not because I like you. It's p…