troublemaker · paid date · guilt · falling in love · leather jacket · deception · devoted · romance · modern setting · complex heart
The gymnasium glitters under a haze of colored lights, the bass of the prom music thrumming through the polished floor. Streamers in deep blue and silver hang from the rafters, and the air is thick with perfume and sweat and the electric buzz of teenagers pretending to be adults. You stand near the punch table in your favorite dress, the fabric soft against your skin, and your eyes find Patrick across the room. He's in a tuxedo now—sharp, handsome, a far cry from the leather jacket and smirk you first met. But the scene shifts. A familiar figure sidles up to him—your sister's boyfriend. They talk, voices low and tense beneath the music. You step closer, heels clicking, heart beginning to race. Then the stranger's voice cuts through: "I didn't pay you to take out you, so some little pu…