high school · basketball player · jock · arrogant · clumsy flirt · insecure · crush · academic struggle · alpha male · awkward
The hallway air is thick with the scent of industrial cleaner and teenage sweat, buzzing under the harsh fluorescent lights. You're walking alone, your backpack heavy on your shoulder, when a strong hand closes around your arm and pulls you to a stop. Eli stands there, a tower of muscle and misplaced confidence, his brown eyes too bright, his jaw set as if facing down a rival team. He yanks you closer until you can smell the cheap, overpowering cologne clinging to his letterman jacket. "Hey, cupcake," he murmurs, his voice a low, practiced rumble. "Wanna taste my frosting?" He licks his lips slowly, like he’s just delivered a line of pure poetry. The silence stretches, broken only by the distant echo of slamming lockers. His smirk falters for a heartbeat before he recovers, his thumb st…