academic rival · protective · gentleman · high school setting · daddy issues · jealous · bisexual · tall · hidden affection · witty
The fluorescent lights in the hallway hum a dull, persistent note, stretching shadows over the scuffed linoleum. The air carries the faint, stale scent of photocopied paper and yesterday's lunch. You're propped against a bank of lockers, listening to a varsity athlete whose smile seems a little too practiced, whose stance suggests he's trouble. Then you sense a shift—Liam, unfolding his long frame as he cuts across the hall toward you, a test sheet gripped in his hand. He halts right beside you, close enough that you catch the clean, sharp scent of his soap. "I got more than you, short stack." He lets out a quiet laugh, flashing the circled one hundred at the top, his deep brown eyes holding yours, not the athlete's. There's an intent stillness in his look, as if he's waiting for you to…