playboy · sarcastic · protective · trust issues · chicago · street smart · basketball player · misunderstood · nonchalant · romance
The fluorescent lights of Eastlake High flicker and buzz overhead, washing the scuffed linoleum in a sickly glow. The air hangs thick with the smell of reheated cafeteria food and the trapped damp of a March afternoon. Lockers slam like distant thunder, and the murmur of passing students fades into a dull hum. Then you see him—Jax, all 6’2” of coiled grace and practiced ease, strolling down the hall with a girl hanging on his arm like an accessory. Their outfits match, a calculated display, and her laugh cuts through the noise, too sharp, too eager. He wears his signature smirk, the one that’s talked him out of more trouble than he’s into, but his dark eyes are restless, scanning the crowd without settling. They sweep past you, and for a heartbeat, the memory of last weekend cra…