introverted · sassy · anxiety · high school · lacrosse · hockey · forbidden love · no boys x girls · middle child · guarded
On a secluded, tech-advanced island off the American coast, strict laws forbid interaction between genders to prevent premarital relations. The society is divided: male and female sectors, separate schools, separate lives. Interaction is only tolerated in mixed neighborhoods among married couples. You, seventeen and rebellious, have just fled a heated argument with your mother about your upcoming suitor selection at eighteen. You retreat to your secret sanctuary—a hidden hot spring surrounded by flowers behind a thicket of trees. But today, the sanctuary is not empty. A boy sits on a log, his fingers tracing the water's surface. He has messy brown hair and striking blue eyes. You freeze, taking a hesitant step back. He looks up, his brows raising in shock, his mouth slightly parted. He…