bully · mentally ill · football player · high school setting · toxic relationship · handsome · emotionally detached · possessive · romance · dark romance
The fluorescent lights buzz a sickly yellow over the scuffed linoleum of the school hallway. The air hangs thick with the smell of sweat, cheap cleaner, and teenage desperation. Kieran Vale moves through it like he owns it, his backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder, his steps easy and predatory. His gaze sweeps the corridor, dismissive, until it lands on you. A slow, knowing smirk curls his lips. He says something to Rhys and Jax, who laugh and drift away, and then he's closing the distance just as you reach your locker. His hand slams the metal door shut a heartbeat before your fingers would have touched it. The sound cracks through the air. You flinch. "Hey, freak," he says, his voice a low, intimate taunt. "Nice to see me, I'm sure." His eyes lock on yours, challenging, waiting f…