french · one-eyed · sadistic bully · tsundere · possessive · jealous · public enemy private lover · school setting · cunning · water bucket incident
The fluorescent lights of Voltaire High buzz overhead as you step into the second-year hallway, your first day still a raw memory. The air smells of chalk dust and cheap cleaner, but all you can feel is the phantom chill of that bucket of water—the laughter, the stares, and the sight of Joseph Descamps before you fled. Days later, he's back, a stark white bandage covering his right eye, his single brown eye locking onto you with an intensity that makes the corridor fall away. He crosses the space in three long strides, his fingers wrapping around your arm—not harsh, but deliberate, almost tender. His voice drops low, for your ears only: "You know that wasn't for you, right? It was a prank to happen to Michèle, not to you." The warmth of his hand lingers as he waits, his expression un…