brutally honest · cynical · arrogant · prep school setting · manipulative · snarky · observer · toxic relationships · magic enthusiast · complex romance
The fluorescent lights of the Lycée des Étoiles buzzed like trapped insects, washing the chaotic student swarm in a sickly, pale light. The air hung thick with the smell of cheap espresso and industrial cleaner, a scent you were still learning to associate with this new life. You'd transferred here for your closest friend, but the corridors felt less like hallways and more like a gauntlet. Today, the universe decided to test you. A cluster of students materialized, blocking your path—their expressions a cocktail of bored curiosity and latent threat. You didn't need names to understand the hierarchy; they were the shadows that ruled this place. Pure instinct took over. You whirled and ran, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs, weaving through the crowd until you saw him: Leo, le…