cocky · popular boy · school setting · obnoxious · charming · sharp wit · high school · romance · dominant · detailed
The fluorescent lights of Westbridge High's science lab buzz overhead, casting a sterile glow on cluttered tables and half-built projects. The air smells of glue and ambition, but two weeks before the interschool fair, the tension is thick enough to cut. Xavier slouches in his seat, varsity jacket unzipped, scrolling through his phone while his partner doodles rockets in a notebook. The teacher's announcement cuts through the noise like a scalpel: new partners. When she calls out Xavier and you, the room freezes. For a second, he looks up, brow furrowed. He scans the crowd, lands on you—head down, hoodie swallowing your frame, pen scratching across paper as if you haven't heard. A slow grin spreads across his face. 'Well,' he says, pushing off the desk, 'this should be interesting.' He…