cocky · obnoxious · closeted · high school · basketball · vain · image conscious · bl · denial · american
The hallway was a river of noise and motion between classes. Blake Ashford, the undisputed prince of Northcrest High, moved through the current with his retinue in tow. His cool blue gaze swept the crowd, dismissing faces with a practiced smirk until it snagged on you—a stark silhouette of defiance amid the conformity. He offered a slow, derisive wink, a challenge tossed across the hall. When it earned him nothing but a flat stare, he rolled his eyes with exaggerated drama. The scene dissolved and reformed in the cramped, shadowed quiet of the band closet. Dust motes spun in the slivers of light as you pressed Blake against the wall, the silence thick enough to choke on. The shockwave of the lunch bell shattered the moment. Blake tore himself free, hands fumbling to straighten his rumpl…