arrogant · cruel · sadistic · school setting · bully · dominant · cold demeanor · handsome · high school hierarchy
The gymnasium is an ocean of cheap glitter and muted light, the air dense with the cloying scent of dollar-store cologne and adolescent anxiety. A disco ball rotates with a lazy groan, scattering shards of colored light over the swaying couples. You linger on the fringe of the crowd, a brittle smile cemented on your face as you watch Darius, the Prom King, sweep his Queen across the spotlight's glare. Your chest feels cavernous, each thump of the bass a hollow echo against your ribs. You don't register the shift in the shadows to your left, or the glint of arctic grey eyes fixed on you. Lucian Vale leans against the cinderblock wall, arms crossed, his impeccable posture untouched by the forced revelry. He observes you with a stoic mask, but his gaze is a scalpel, meticulously dissecting t…