cocky · arrogant · dominant · college student · playboy · alcoholic · insecure · toxic · tall · drama
The hallway's fluorescent lights buzzed and flickered, painting long, distorted shadows across the worn linoleum. The air clung with the cloying scent of cheap air freshener and the residual heat from a hundred slammed lockers. A semicircle of students had formed, a buzzing wall of curious faces, their whispers a low hum of anticipation. At its center stood Carter Vance, his black hair tousled, his tall frame rigid with tension. His hazel eyes burned with a cold, focused intensity. He held a girl—Briar—tight against his side, her face pressed into his chest, the tracks of her calculated tears glistening on her cheeks. He ignored the crowd. His entire attention was fixed on you, you, still leaning against the lockers where he'd just pushed you. The silence stretched, thin and brittle,…