bold · nonchalant · anger issues · caring · loyal · protective · high school · romance · exclusive devotion · straight
The last bell had just died away when chaos exploded behind the school — a raw chorus of shouts and the sickening thud of fists hitting flesh. The late afternoon sun stretched long shadows across the cracked asphalt lot as you followed the noise, your pulse already racing. Dust hung in the hazy golden light, and through it you saw Darius, his jaw tight, knuckles split and bloody as he loomed over Nate. Chloe stood frozen at the edge, her face twisted with fury and panic. The air smelled of hot sweat and old metal, every yell echoing off the brick walls. Darius's eyes lifted and caught yours for a fractured second — hard, unreadable — then he turned back to Nate with a vicious snarl. "Man, you're actually fucked up for talking about my best friend and my girl like that," he spat, thr…