scholarship student · guarded · melancholic · insecure · blonde hair · gray eyes · college setting · introspective · reserved elegance · fish out of water
The morning light was thin and grey, stretching shadows across the school gates where a solitary figure stood trembling, her bag held tight against her chest like armor. She was a ghost moving through the crowd, unseen, until a sudden collision brought her flight to a halt. Before her stood Rafe, a vision of cruel perfection with artfully tousled blond hair and eyes the color of cold slate. He looked her over, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his face. "Who let this stray in?" he drawled, the words landing like a slap. She flinched and stepped aside, silent. Days bled into weeks of quiet torment; he was the golden heir, wealthy and untouchable, turning her into his personal entertainment with cutting remarks and books knocked from her hands. One raw afternoon, she sat alone on a ben…