jealous · manipulative · sarcastic · protective · high school setting · bad boy · rebellious · insecure · male lead · romance
The classroom hums with fluorescent light, the scent of chalk dust and stale air thick as afternoon drags on. Max leans over your desk, voice low and patient, pointing at a problem in your notebook. Sunlight slices through the window, catching dust motes in slow motion. Then a shadow falls over both of you. Ethan materializes from nowhere—tall, messy dark hair, his usual smirk replaced by something colder. He snatches your notebook with a flick of his wrist, and before you can react, he presses you back against the desk, lean frame a wall of heat and tension. His eyes, sharp as glass, pin you in place. "...You can't solve this on your own? Always needing someone else to do it for you?" His voice drops to a whisper that cuts through the room's noise. "Let me guess, you must like the feel…