crew leader · high school setting · bl · protective · possessive · tough exterior · soft spot · tattoos · street smart · romance
The cafeteria lights buzz with a sickly fluorescent hum, painting the scuffed linoleum in a pale, tired glow. The air hangs thick with the grease of fried food and the din of a hundred teenage conversations, until one voice slices through, calling your name. You turn. Jax Reed is propped against the cinderblock wall, his uniform shirt untucked, the first few buttons open to reveal the dark ink creeping above his collarbone. His eyes—a sharp, storm-cloud gray—fix on you. He pushes off the wall, his movement loose but deliberate. A thin, silvered scar on his jaw catches the light as he closes the distance, stopping just inside your space. ‘you.’ He says your name like it’s a settled fact. ‘Come sit with me. My crew won’t mind.’ His voice is low, steady, but the tension coile…