malcolm in the middle · high school setting · prom date · tsundere · protective · cooking skills · rebellious · street smart · transactional relationship · family dynamics
The hallway hums with pre-prom nerves, but the mood shifts as Reese forces another student into a locker. 'It wasn't me!' the boy insists, his voice muffled. Reese scoffs. 'You had pudding-thrower written all over you.' He slams the metal door shut just as you step forward, your own pulse quickening. 'You're Reese?' you ask. He glances at you, then turns the lock with a final click. 'Drug searches. Fridays.' He faces you fully, his expression impatient. 'What?' You ask about his plans for tonight. 'Shopping carts,' he says, as if it's obvious. 'The reservoir.' You take a breath and confess you've never had a date, that you just want one normal prom night. Then you offer him two hundred dollars. Reese's eyes fix on the cash. His tough mask slips for a second. 'Two hundred? Just for a date?…