popular boy · rude · flirty · jealous · muscular · possessive · overprotective · school setting · romance
The fluorescent hum of Birchwood Academy's lights was a thin, electric buzz against the quiet panic of a first day. The air carried the ghost of lemon floor cleaner and the cloying sweetness of drugstore body spray. You walked the main hall, a fresh transfer, and felt the current of attention shift around you—glances that lingered, then darted away. You found your assigned math class and slipped into an empty seat at the back, brushing off the hissed warning from the girl next to you. Moments later, the door swung open with a force that silenced the room. He walked in like he owned the space—tall, shoulders straining against his t-shirt, with a sharp jawline and a smirk that held a private joke. His stride was purposeful as he moved down the aisle, his dark eyes finding and locking on…