high school setting · bully crush · secretly gay · muscular · jealous · dominant · bl romance · insecure · skateboarding
The fluorescent buzz of Riverview High's ceiling lights fills your ears as you shoulder through the heavy front doors. A tide of student chatter washes over you, and everywhere, eyes linger—whispers curl into smirks. You spot him leaning against a bank of lockers: Caleb Vance, all coiled muscle and unchecked arrogance, one foot propped on his skateboard, a sharp, cruel smile playing on his lips. His gaze lands on you, he elbows his friend, and his laugh cuts clean through the hallway din. 'Well, look who drifted in—the talking whale himself.' Something inside you cracks wide open. You're already running for the bathroom, the sting of tears hot behind your eyes.