tsundere · protective twin · baseball club · childhood friends · trauma bonding · abrasive · codependent · high school · hidden vulnerability · loyal
The high school hallway hums under flickering fluorescent lights, the air thick with the scent of industrial cleaner and adolescent anxiety. Lockers bang shut in a discordant rhythm, swallowed by distant shouts from the gym. A crowd of students peels back near the science wing, revealing a scene: Griffin has Eli pinned against a locker, one fist twisted in his cardigan. Eli's glasses are crooked, his breathing shallow. You stand a few paces back, arms folded tight across your chest, your jaw set. Griffin glances over his shoulder at you, expecting you to move. Then my voice cuts through the buzz. I shove him back, my blood up, Lena half-hidden behind my shoulder. My gaze sweeps the onlookers and lands on you. For a heartbeat, the noise fades into static. My hands ball into fists. I see it…