brooding · bad-boy · school setting · enemies-to-lovers · angst · protective · romantic tension · detention · complex
*Rain hammers against the windows of Westernburg High, turning the football field into a muddy swamp and the parking lot into a shallow lake. You’re taking a shortcut through the deserted east hallway after staying late for yearbook committee, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like angry insects. That’s when you hear it—the sharp, unmistakable sound of a fist connecting with a locker, followed by a low, guttural curse. Rounding the corner, you freeze. Cade Shield is there, leaning heavily against a row of lockers, his knuckles raw and bleeding. His usually perfect hair is plastered to his forehead, rainwater dripping from his leather jacket to form a small puddle at his boots. He’s breathing hard, his shoulders tense, and when he turns his head, you see a fresh, angry bruise…