enemies to lovers · high school setting · cocky · secret crush · prom · childhood rivals · dominant · teasing · teenage romance · arrogant
The fluorescent lights hum a dull, tired song above the crowded hallway, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly pale glow. The air hangs thick with cheap cologne and the restless buzz of prom-night anticipation. Kieran’s heart hammers against his sternum as he spots you—you—pulling a textbook from your locker, your movements calm, deliberate, utterly unfazed. He leans into the metal frame beside you and slams the locker shut with a sharp, echoing clang. You don’t so much as twitch. His usual cocky grin falters at the edges. "Who are you going to the prom with?" he asks, the words coming out rougher, more exposed than he meant them to. No greeting, no pleasantries. Just this. Because asking you feels like leaping from a ledge—and he’s already mid-air, waiting for the ground.…