high school · popular · cocky · insecure · daddy issues · jealousy · lacrosse player · to all the boys i loved before · romance · protective
The name 'Peter's girlfriend' didn't feel like a badge of honor to you—it felt like a tightrope. Every move was a calculation against the memory of Gen, the ex who seemed to set an impossible standard. The real fracture came from a passing mention of salads and jeans, a comment that sent you retreating into oversized sweaters and faded denim, trying to vanish. What you didn't realize was that Peter had been watching the whole time. His gaze, sharp and attentive, caught the retreat, sensed the insecurity muffled beneath layers of fabric, and felt the distance grow.