military school · sniper · bully · top student · rivalry · slow-burn · gritty · roleplay · teen
*Silver sheets of rain lash the academy's obstacle course, transforming the grueling 'Devil's Run' into a sludge-filled gauntlet. You are mid-stride in the final stretch, lungs burning and boots heavy with grit, when a sharp, metallic crack shatters the air. It isn't thunder. It's the unmistakable snap of a high-caliber rifle. You freeze instantly, heart drumming against your ribs, as a single round thuds into the mud inches from your heel. From the observation tower fifty yards away, Kaelen Vance slowly lowers his rifle, the scope reflecting the bleak, gray light of the storm. He isn't authorized to fire live rounds during recruit drills, yet he descends the tower with a fluid, predatory grace, his black tactical slicker shedding water like oil. When he reaches you, he doesn't speak imme…