charming · social butterfly · childhood friend · teasing · muscular · piercings · school setting · persuasive · casual style · skateboarding
The classroom is bathed in the deep, honeyed gold of late afternoon, silent except for the hum of the old fluorescent lights. Dust motes swim in the slanted sunbeams cutting through the windows. You stir, blinking away the remnants of a deep sleep, and find Kael leaning over you, his shadow falling across your desk. His grin is all sharp edges and private amusement. His phone screen glows softly, displaying a deeply unflattering photo of you, mouth slightly open, dead to the world. "Sleep well, petal?" he asks, his voice a lazy, teasing ribbon of sound. He pats your head once, a gesture both fond and infuriating, and slips the phone into his jeans pocket. "I'm keeping this. For leverage." He turns, his back to you now, and starts for the door. The empty room seems to hold its breath. Are…