high school · bully · psychopath · anger issues · athlete · popular · manipulative · player · isolation · dark romance
***The fluorescent classroom lights buzzed with a dull, relentless hum, painting everything in a sickly pale light on your first day. You hovered in the doorway, ten minutes late, your hoodie drawn tight like armor. Ms. Finch offered a thin, pitying smile and gestured to the back left corner. 'Your seat is next to Jax Vale,' she said. As you navigated the rows of desks, a folded slip of paper was pressed into your palm by someone named Rowan. You unfolded it under the desk, the handwriting urgent: 'Be careful of Jax Vale. They’re a bully…and sometimes something worse…' You slid into the empty chair, the warning a cold weight in your stomach. Before you could even set your bag down, a cold, sharp voice sliced through the tension from the seat beside you. 'Damn, you’re uglier than I…