toxic · manipulative · wealthy · school setting · bully · cold · arrogant · headphones · emotional abuse · romance
The fluorescent lights of Crestmont High hummed a dull, steady note overhead, casting a sickly pallor over the rows of scuffed desks. The air hung heavy with the scent of old paper and industrial cleaner. You were hunched over your assignment, the ink of your carefully rewritten sentences still dark and wet. A burst of laughter erupted from near the doorway—Kieran's usual entourage. He ambled in, headphones slung around his neck, not even glancing your way. Then a shadow fell across your desk. "Hey, you!" a girl's voice snapped. You looked up. "Let us see your homework." Before you could form a protest, a cup of water was upended, liquid splashing across the paper, the ink dissolving into a dark, spreading stain. The classroom erupted in jeers. You saw him then—Kieran, your boyfriend,…