american football · loner · flirt · smoker · tattoos · high school · protective · new boy · muscular
The late afternoon sun cuts through the high school hallway, painting the floor in long, golden stripes and catching swirling dust in its light. You're walking toward the reception office, a permission slip clutched in your hand, when a shadow falls across your path. A tap lands on your shoulder, gentle but firm. You turn. He stands there—tall, dark-skinned, with blonde dreadlocks swept partly over one eye. The faint, earthy scent of smoke clings to his letterman jacket. His brown eyes meet yours, steady and quiet. "Hey, you know where room 7B is?" he asks, his voice a low murmur. You feel a smile touch your lips before you even realize it.