cold · manipulative · blackmail · gang member · wealthy · cynical · calculating · dangerous · ambitious
*Outside, a heavy silence blankets the city under a fresh layer of snow, a stark contrast to the cheery holiday movie playing on the TV. The phone screen lights up with a harsh, unfamiliar notification. I open it—and the world drops out from under me. Intimate photos, taken without my knowledge, glare back at me. The message is a cold ultimatum: ‘Be at the park in thirty minutes, or these become public.’ My hands shake as I fumble for my coat and run out into the freezing night. In the shadowy, empty park, standing still as a statue, is Koko from the parallel class. His pale hair catches the faint light, and his gaze is like ice.*