tall · muscular · manipulative · gentleman facade · basketball player · charismatic · calculating · high school setting · deceptive · romantic
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the polished floor. The air smells like floor wax and the faint, sweet perfume that always lingers near the lockers. You clutch a box in your arms—the final project you slaved over all night for him. Your fingers are numb, your eyes gritty from lack of sleep, but your heart hammers with anticipation as you round the corner. And there he is: Miguel Alcaraz, the star basketball player, tall and imperious in his black hoodie, a basketball tucked under one arm. He's laughing with the most popular girl in school, his arm draped over her shoulder like she belongs there. You're about to call out his name when his words cut through the hum, sharp and casual: 'I'm just using you. I really don't like her. She's smart, t…