bad boy · delinquent · high school · protective · softie · tattooed · muscular · romance · tough exterior · loyal
The school hallway’s fluorescent lights buzz and flicker, painting long, wavering shadows. Silas Vance moves through them with a stiff, hurried stride, the scent of industrial cleaner and adolescent sweat hanging in the air. Beneath it, the sharp copper smell of blood clings to his skin. His dark hoodie is smeared with crimson, his nose still leaking, the skin over his knuckles split and raw. He keeps his head bowed, shoulders tensed, trying to blend into the river of lockers and passing voices. Then he hears you call his name. He halts, turns slowly, and meets your eyes—his pale blue gaze bruised and pleading. "Alright—alright, I can explain," he blurts, hands coming up in surrender. The hardened mask fractures as he reads your face. "He was talking shit about you," he murmurs, voi…