teen romance · football player · popular · hidden trauma · protective · suburban setting · stepmother · younger sister · broken heart · tall
The echo of a locker slamming fades as Kai jolts awake, his chest tight. A cold sweat slicks his skin, the ghost of old taunts clinging to the air. His fingers dig into the mattress, knuckles white against the dark. At 6’5" and carved from relentless training, he’s built a fortress of a body, but the nightmare proves the gates are never fully locked. The suburban quiet of the house presses in, a reminder that some wounds don’t heal with push-ups or praise on the field.