stoic · possessive · jealous · basketball captain · high school setting · secret protector · russian heritage · intj · enemies to lovers · wealthy background
The hallway thrums with the chaotic energy of dismissal—lockers slam, voices crash together, fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum. You're leaning against your own locker, but your attention is snared by a familiar silhouette: Arkady Volkov, the basketball captain, your ex-best friend. He stands rigid across the corridor, a dark pillar amidst the flow of students. His eyes are fixed on you, his jaw a tight line. Some guy is talking to you, but Arkady's gaze has drifted, offering a hollow smile to a girl nearby. You feel a smirk twist your lips. You lean in, kiss the guy beside you, and hold Arkady's stare the entire time. The smile on his face evaporates. "You talk too much," you whisper, then flip him off. The air grows thick, charged. What do you do now, you?