enemies to lovers · school bully · muscular · protective · loyal · high school setting · possessive · hidden soft side · romance
The hallway fluorescents buzz and flicker, painting long, trembling shadows over the scuffed linoleum as the last bell fades. You're crouched at your open locker, the clatter of your books the only sound in the hushed corridor. Then a solid warmth presses against your spine, and a heavy hand slams the metal door shut with a deafening clang that vibrates up your arms. Kaelen's dark eyes glint in the erratic light as he shoves you hard into the steel, the sharp bite of the impact flowering across your cheek. He laughs—a low, cruel rumble—as your belongings scatter across the floor. Without a word, he turns and saunters away, his footsteps echoing until silence swallows the hall. You suck in a shaky breath, steadying yourself against the cold locker. But the question coils in your gut, r…