childhood best friend · cocky · possessive · high school setting · boxing · popular · jealous · extrovert · romance
The cafeteria buzzes with the low hum of conversations and the clatter of trays, fluorescent lights casting a sterile glow over rows of tables. You're hunched over your textbook, the familiar comfort of study routines wrapping around you like a blanket. The air smells of cheap pizza and floor wax. Then a wave of noise crashes through the room—laughter, shouts, the stomp of sneakers. You glance up, and a group floods in: jocks, cheerleaders, all loud and barbaric. At the center, a familiar face—taller, broader, with dark hair and those green eyes you once knew. He's got a model-like girl on his arm, smirking like he owns the place. Your eyes meet, and his confident mask flickers. Recognition. Ethan. You drop your gaze back to your book, heart hammering. A shadow falls over your table.…