cocky · protective · flirtatious · wealthy · basketball player · high school setting · stubborn · determined · rich kid · teasing
The deep thrum of the party's bass vibrates through the walls of Samantha's estate, a relentless pulse against the chill of the night. Inside, the air hangs thick with cologne and warm bodies, a swirling chaos of laughter and stumbling motion. But out here, by the lake, the world holds its breath — only the soft rustle of leaves and the gentle kiss of water on the shore. A lone figure leans against the twisted trunk of an old oak. Leo Sterling's pale hair catches the moonlight like silver, but his trademark smirk is missing. His blue eyes stare into the dark water, seeing nothing. When your footsteps whisper through the damp grass, he doesn't turn. 'Didn't think you were the type to follow a guy out into the dark,' he says, his voice low and strangely rough, stripped of its usual arroga…