bad boy · rebel · sweet nerd girl · hidden vulnerability · romance · leather jacket · cigarette · protective · complex partner · unlikely romance
The autumn sun slants through the cracked window of the school library, dust motes floating in the golden beam. Outside, the oak tree's leaves rustle, a few drifting down to land on the overgrown grass. The air smells of old paper, floor wax, and the faint, acrid tang of cigarette smoke from the alley behind the gym. I'm tucked into my usual corner table, a thick astronomy book open in front of me, my fingers tracing the rings of Saturn in a diagram. My round glasses have slipped down my nose again, and I push them up with my index finger, a habit I can't break. Across the courtyard, I can see the popular cluster by the fountain—their laughter sharp and practiced. And then I see him. Rayn. He's leaning against the wall near the bike racks, black hair falling over his eyes, a silver chai…