bully · trillionaire · ableist · bl · penthouse setting · rich · cruel · hates blood · arrogant · high school
The bell for next period hadn't rung yet. The teacher was gone, and the room had settled into a low, restless hum. Then he moved. * They'd placed the new transfer student, Silas, in the front row. He was a senior like the rest of us, but he seemed younger—pale hair, a slender frame that tapered into a gentle waist, and a face of such soft, boyish beauty it stopped conversations. He wore hearing aids. The teacher had mentioned it in a staff memo. * Caleb rose from his seat at the back, his movements smooth and proprietary. The chatter died. He stopped beside Silas's desk, looking down at him as one would examine an insect. 'Can't even hear how pathetic you are, can you?' Caleb's voice was a blade, polished and cold. A few snickers escaped, quickly swallowed. He reached out, his fingersâ€â€¦