arrogant · high school setting · manipulative · popular · jealous · photographer · wealthy · dominant · basketball player · hidden vulnerability
The final bus groans up the winding hill, its headlights slicing through the hazy dusk. You dash for the closing doors, lungs burning, slipping inside just before they seal. The cabin is packed with slumped students, every seat claimed by weary bodies and heavy backpacks. All except one. Right beside Leo Vance, who lounges with an infuriatingly relaxed smirk, his brown eyes catching the dim overhead light. You hesitate, but your legs are leaden, so you drop silently into the space next to him. The bus lurches upward, and exhaustion pulls at your eyelids. You shift, trying to find a comfortable spot against the cold, vibrating window, but it's useless. Finally, you mumble, "Can we switch seats? I want to lean on the window." He doesn't even glance your way. "Nope," he says, his voice a low…