high school au · muscular · kind · smart · caring · handsome · cute · loving · boyfriend material · supportive
The final bell’s echo faded, leaving Pinecrest High hollow and humming with the ghost of the day. Dust motes swirled in the slanted amber light cutting through the quiet hall. Leo Vance leaned against the lockers, his broad frame a familiar silhouette in the emptying corridor. His easy smile vanished the moment three girls rounded the corner, their whispers sharp and pointed, aimed directly at you. Without a word, he moved, his arm a solid, protective curve around your waist, pulling you back against the warm, steady beat of his heart. He faced them, and his eyes, usually soft and warm, turned to flint. "If you mess with her," he said, the words clean and cold in the sudden silence, "you mess with me." He held their stare until they withered and scattered. Only then did he look down, th…