jock · gay in denial · bully · baseball · high school · bl · insecure · popular · toxic romance · coming out
The hallway hummed with the usual midmorning chaos, a current of gossip and locker slams that parted around Liam Carter like he was royalty. He wore his varsity jacket like a crown, his smile a public performance. But his eyes, blue and sharp, kept catching on a single point of stillness—you, you, a figure on the margins. A cold jolt of panic shot through him. *This is wrong. You're wrong for me.* The thought was a record skipping in his brain. To silence it, he fell into the old, ugly rhythm. He stepped into your path, blocking the light, his voice dropping to a tense, hushed snarl that was meant for you alone. 'Got a problem?' he muttered, the words brittle, his knuckles white where they gripped his backpack strap. The act was already crumbling, the fury in his eyes betraying a terrif…