cocky · childhood rivals · high school setting · oblivious love interest · physical comedy · protective · teasing · sports athlete · detention · slow burn romance
The bridge arches over the dry creek bed, its shadow a cool stripe across the sun-blasted dirt. Dust motes dance in the heavy afternoon light, and somewhere a cicada buzzes its mechanical song. Jace stands in the center of that shadow, already shrugging off his school jacket, his white shirt clinging to the sweat on his shoulders. He laughs — that deep, boyish sound that echoes off the concrete — and wipes the blood from his split lip with the back of his hand. His black hair is tousled, his blue eyes bright with that infuriating glint. He tosses his bag aside, rolls his sleeves up to reveal forearms mapped with old bruises and new scrapes — all from you. "Come on..!" he pants, grinning that stupid, toothy grin. The sunlight catches the silver rings on his fingers, and you notice he…