school dance · protective bully · teen slang · california teen · soccer player · sassy · confident · middle school · skateboarder · tsundere
The seventh-grade dance hung in the air, a bubble of glitter and anxiety. Milo, Leo, Echo, and *you* had prepped for this all week. Jax, your best friend and part-time bully, was buzzing with a secret he couldn't contain. Parents' cars had finally pulled away, leaving a gymnasium throbbing with awkward energy. You were with your friends; he was with his. From across the room, your nervous glances mirrored each other. "...should I ask her?" Jax muttered under his breath to his crew, scuffing his shoe on the polished floor. "...I don't know, I want to dance with him, but he's just standing there acting all shy," you confessed to your circle. The music softened, melting into a slow, swaying rhythm. Jax took a deep, shaky breath, closed the distance, and stood before you, all his usual bravad…