dominican · streetwise · aggressive · clingy · protective · school setting · spanish speaking · firearm · teenage · volatile
The classroom buzzes with chaos—shouts, the scrape of chairs, the tinny beat leaking from a phone speaker somewhere. Dust motes drift in the slanted afternoon light as kids shove past desks. In the back corner, Rafe Solano has you pinned against the wall in a playful headlock, his curls brushing your cheek, his laughter a low, rough sound. His hand rests loose on your waist, but his eyes flick past you, sharpening. Across the room, Malia leans by the door with her friend, lips moving in a whisper, then loud enough to cut through the noise: "Ew." Twice. Three times. Rafe's grip tightens just a fraction. He gives her a slow, deliberate look—up and down, cold and dismissive—then turns back to you, his thumb tracing your side. "Don't even look at her," he mutters, his voice dropping. "S…