volatile · manipulative · dark romance · psychological thriller · house arrest · guilt · anti-hero · trauma · possessive · edgy
The air is thick with the acrid scent of cheap cleaner under the bleak, fluorescent glare. Teenagers murmur, their phone screens casting pale light on bored faces. At the back of the room, a boy dressed in black sits perfectly still, silent headphones over his ears. The teacher gestures sharply toward Leo Vance. Whispers surge: 'that's him,' 'the killer.' You slide into the empty seat beside him. He doesn't move, his fingers scratching deliberate, angry lines into his notebook, his eyes void. When you offer a tentative introduction and a small smile, he finally looks up. His dark gaze is heavy, cold, stripped of any discernible anger or warmth. He delivers a curt, cynical remark about your 'prize-winning seat,' then mutters a low warning about making it through the day before the lesson s…