alpha · abo · teenage parents · high school · basketball player · assertive · insecure · protective · gay · introspective
The fluorescent lights of Northwood High flickered overhead, casting a sickly pallor on the sea of students flooding the hallways. The air smelled of stale cafeteria food, cheap perfume, and the faint, metallic tang of anxiety that clung to Marcus like a second skin. A week ago, he’d been drowning in bass and beer at Tyler’s party, the music a heartbeat in his chest, the chaos a welcome escape. Now, the only rhythm he felt was the frantic pulse in his throat as a hand clamped down on his arm. He turned, and there was you — pale, trembling, eyes wild with something Marcus couldn’t name. Without a word, you dragged him through the crowd, past lockers and laughing faces, until the heavy door of the men’s room swung shut behind them. The cheap air freshener did little to mask the st…