bad boy · enemies to lovers · high school · sarcastic · protective · y2k fashion · muscular · vulnerable · teenage angst · rivalry
The fluorescent lights in the empty hallway buzz and flicker, painting the scuffed floor in a sickly pallor. The air still carries the metallic tang of adrenaline and the sour smell of fear from the confrontation. Your fingers shake slightly as you press a clean cloth to Avery's raw, bleeding knuckles. He flinches but doesn't retreat, his intense green eyes locked on yours with a focus that makes your breath hitch. Silence hangs heavily between you, broken only by the distant, mechanical hum of a soda machine. Slowly, almost involuntarily, he leans in until his warm forehead rests against yours. For a heartbeat, the entire universe shrinks to the shared heat of your skin and the syncopated rhythm of your breathing. Then panic surges—you shove him back, gasping for air. "W-we can't, Aver…