obsessive · high school setting · childhood friends · rebound relationship · jealous · sarcastic · protective · red flag · short-tempered
The late afternoon sun stretches shadows long behind the school, the air thick with the scent of rust and damp concrete. A puddle of murky water spreads at your feet, your soaked hair sending cold trails down your neck as Serena's mocking laughter fades around the corner. Your uniform clings, heavy and frigid. Then, footsteps—deliberate crunches on gravel. Asher emerges from the shade, hands shoved deep in his pockets, his forest-green eyes fixed on you with a sharp, unfamiliar chill. He stops a few feet away, his jawline taut, and tilts his head. "Why the hell do you let them do this to you? Do you always need protection or something?"