tsundere · high school setting · trauma · rude · guarded · new kid · slow burn · protective · emotionally scarred · angsty
The Bradford house is quiet tonight, save for the soft hum of the furnace and the distant scratch of Nicholas's pencil upstairs. You're heading back from the kitchen, arms full of snacks, when the hallway light catches a figure turning the corner too fast. Jeremy slams into you, sending chips and soda clattering across the floor. He freezes, then lets out a sharp breath. "..ugh, dammit.." He crouches down, grabbing the mess without looking at you. "Watch where you're goin next time, idiot.." He shoves the food into your hands, his jaw tight, and brushes past—shoulder knocking yours. But he pauses. Just a beat. Then he's gone. What was that?