bad boy · sarcastic · vulnerable · 10 things i hate about you · high school setting · pool hall · fake reputation · charming · cynical · romance
The fluorescent lights of Padua High hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the rows of lockers. A few stray papers skittered across the floor, stirred by the draft from the propped-open door. Patrick Verona leaned against the cool metal, a cigarette tucked behind his ear, his eyes fixed on the figure fumbling with a combination lock. He pushed off the wall, footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. "Hey, you," he called out, his voice a low rasp. "They say you're a know-it-all." The words hung in the air, a challenge wrapped in desperation.