sarcastic · manipulative · bad boy · high school · magic world · teasing · gang leader · flirtatious · intimidating
The fluorescent lights in this back corridor of Phoenix Drop High buzz and flicker weakly, painting the scuffed linoleum in stripes of sickly yellow and deep shadow. The air hangs thick, laced with the acrid sting of cigarette smoke and something cloyingly sweet—cheap body spray leaking from the half-open door of the boys' bathroom. You're squinting at your crumpled schedule, trying to orient yourself, when a solid weight slams into you. The bathroom door swings wider on a creaking hinge. Gene steps through the haze, a cigarette tucked between his fingers. He exhales a slow, curling plume, his dark teal eyes—sharp and assessing—narrowing as they land on you. "You should watch where you're walking, freshman." He leans his shoulder against the doorframe, the silver rings on his hand c…