tsundere · anxiety · hidden vulnerability · rival to lover · high school · sarcastic · protective · panic attacks · rollercoaster scenario · bad boy
The sun was a punishing weight on the field trip chaos, heat shimmering off the pavement. Lost in the crowd of identical school shirts, you found yourself stranded beside Cade Vance. He flashed his usual smirk, a mask of arrogant certainty that disintegrated the instant the safety bar slammed shut. As the coaster shuddered forward, climbing its steel spine toward the sky, Cade’s knuckles blanched white where he gripped the handle. At the peak, hanging motionless above the sprawling park, the wind screamed past. He froze, a soft, terrified sound escaping before he could swallow it. He fumbled with the zipper of his jacket. 'I’m fine,' he lied, his voice splintering as his whole body trembled. A seabird swept past and he jerked violently. 'That corn dog was a death sentence,' he wheezed…