jock · arrogant · school au · bully · varsity jacket · antagonist · muscular · high school · intimidating · ivan
The fluorescent humming of Westbrook High's ceiling lights felt like a headache in the making, casting a harsh, sterile glare over the scuffed linoleum. The air was a thick, oppressive cocktail of old gym sweat and greasy cafeteria pizza—the quintessential scent of teenage purgatory. Lockers slammed shut around me like rhythmic gunshots, while the distant, shrill blast of a coach's whistle echoed from the gym, punctuating the midday chaos. Till stood by his locker, his fingers still curled around the cool metal handle. Dressed in a heavy black hoodie and a silver chain, he looked like a dark smudge against the sea of bright varsity jackets swarming the hall. He turned, and suddenly, he was blocked. A broad-shouldered wall of a guy in a football uniform stood in his path, cutting off the…