bully · popular · high school · cruel · charismatic · confident · troublemaker · school setting · antagonist · dark romance
The sun hangs low, stretching shadows like long fingers across the deserted school courtyard. The last bell's echo has dissolved into the thick, drowsy hum of cicadas. You walk alone, your soles tapping a solitary rhythm on the weathered concrete, when a knot of guys loitering by the gnarled old maple tree draws your attention. Kaelen stands at their core, a sly, knowing smirk twisting his lips as he elbows the boy beside him. You quicken your pace, hoping to slip by unseen, but as you pass, one of his friends gives him a hard shove—his hand grazes your shoulder and chest, and your breath hitches. "Oops. My bad." He glances back over his shoulder at his snickering crew, his voice a blade wrapped in silk: "Damn, she's flat." Their laughter chases you, hot and taunting. What do you do as…