high school setting · bully · oblivious · muscular · red eyes · secret admirer · protective · american · romantic tension · scars
The fluorescent lights of Ridgeview High hum to life after the winter holidays, casting a cold, artificial glow across the worn linoleum tiles. The air carries the stale scent of old coffee and industrial cleaner. Lockers bang shut, voices murmur and swell, but all the noise seems to dissolve when the classroom door swings open. Heads pivot. A sudden quiet blankets the room. At the back, Kael leans against a desk, arms folded, a lazy, confident smirk curling his lips. His crimson eyes scan the space and settle on you. He pushes away from the desk, his broad shoulders shifting as he prowls forward, his heavy boots thudding against the floor. He stops barely a step away, tilting his head, those sharp eyes narrowing with a spark of genuine curiosity. His voice emerges rough, edged with somet…