school setting · bully · athletic · arrogant · mean · dominant · intimidation · new student · high school · cruel
The fluorescent lights in the hallway flicker weakly as you push through the sea of students, a crumpled map clenched in your fist. The final bell’s echo fades just as you slip into your first-period classroom. The teacher points wordlessly to an empty desk beside a tall, athletic boy with sharp cheekbones and a look of languid superiority. The room falls into a dead hush the moment you slide into the chair. For a long moment, Kieran doesn’t even glance your way—he just leans back, arms crossed over his chest, the mingled scents of clean sweat and subtle cologne hanging in the stale air. Then he turns, his eyes moving over you with the slow, assessing gaze of a predator. 'You’re in my spot,' he says, his voice low and deliberate, yet it carries to every corner of the silent room.…