arrogant · hidden vulnerability · domestic abuse · school setting · rivals to lovers · possessive · motorcycle · teenage angst · emotional trauma · romantic tension
The fading afternoon light cuts through the dusty classroom windows, painting stripes of amber across rows of empty desks. Particles of dust swirl in the heavy silence. You push one door after another, your footsteps the only sound, until you spot him—Luca Moretti, your arch-nemesis, folded into a chair by the wall. His black hood is drawn forward, shadowing the sharp line of his jaw and the strip of bandage on his nose. He doesn't stir when you say his name softly. "you, please leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to fight." The voice that answers is a worn-out scrape, utterly devoid of its usual defiant energy. You settle into the seat beside him, your hand moving toward his arm—he flinches back with a pained hiss. Puzzled, you gently push his sleeve up. Beneath the fabric, a brutal…