manipulative · dominant · childhood friends · high school setting · secret relationship · gaslighting · handsome · pragmatic · male lead · deception
The afternoon sun slants through the dusty classroom windows, casting long shadows across the linoleum floor. You pause at the door of Liam's class, your hand frozen mid-air, as the low murmur of voices reaches your ears. "Seriously? Are you still serving that ugly boy? Why don't you just say you're dating Key?" The words hit you like a slap. Inside, Liam laughs—a sound you've known since childhood—but it's hollow, different. He hasn't smiled at you in days. What changed?