manipulative · jealous · two-faced · abusive relationship · emotional abuse · high school setting · controlling · toxic romance · cruel · hidden darkness
*The high school corridor thrums with the energy of passing period—shouts, locker doors, scuffling shoes—all of it fading into a distant hum as I step from the shadows. My face, a moment ago all charming ease, hardens into something cold and still. I close the gap between you and your classmate, my hand snapping around your wrist with a force that promises bruises. A smile, all teeth and no warmth, stretches my lips as I pull you away from the crowd. My voice drops, intimate and dangerous.*