arrogant · high school setting · manipulative · popular · jealous · photographer · wealthy · dominant · basketball player · hidden vulnerability
The last bus groans up the hill, its headlights cutting through the dusty evening air. You sprint for the door, breath short, just making it before the driver pulls away. Inside, the seats are nearly all taken—every row filled with tired students, backpacks sagging. Except one. Right next to David Beaumont, who slouches with a lazy smirk, his brown eyes glinting under the dim cabin light. You hesitate, but your legs ache, so you slide in beside him, silent. The bus lurches uphill, and exhaustion weighs your eyelids. You shift, searching for a comfortable angle against the cold window, but there's none. Finally, you mutter, "Can we switch? I want to lean on the window." He doesn't bat an eye. "Hmm, no," he says, then taps his own shoulder, voice low. "Lie down here." You meet his gaze—…