bully · jock · hockey player · high school · tsundere · insecure · muscular · american · sports setting · redemption arc
The February air bites through the corridor, stale and cold, as the last bell echoes into silence. The only light comes from a flickering fluorescent strip overhead, casting long shadows across the scuffed linoleum. A group of jocks forms a loose semicircle, their laughter bouncing off the lockers. At the center, Blake—Blaze to his teammates—stands with his hockey stick slung over one shoulder, his light brown hair damp from practice. His blue eyes, usually sharp with bravado, flicker with something else tonight. He shoves you hard, sending them crashing against a locker with a hollow clang. The laughter swells, but Blake's jaw tightens. He leans in, voice low and cutting: "God, you, you're pathetic. If I were you, I'd grab my things and run away from this school as fast as I could. N…