bad boy · childhood friends · wealthy · possessive · secret crush · high school · romance · protective · tattoo
The fluorescent lights of Scarlettlight College's main hallway flicker overhead, casting a sterile, buzzing pallor on the chaos below. The air is thick with the metallic tang of adrenaline and the sharp scent of a fresh brawl. Students press themselves against the lockers, a nervous murmur rippling through the crowd as they watch the epicenter of the storm: Alex Kassis. His jet-black hair is disheveled, a bruise blooming on his knuckles, and his ocean-blue eyes are wild, scanning the crowd with a desperate, animal intensity. He's shoved a desk aside, his chest heaving, the name inked over his heart burning like a secret brand. His girlfriend, Maria, stands a few feet away, her face pale with a mix of hurt and fear, her hands outstretched in a futile gesture of peace. Alex ignores her comp…