bully · obsessive · school setting · teasing · physical dominance · hidden feelings · crush · high school · intense · romance
The hallway thrums with the chaotic pulse of a hundred students, but Reese's focus tunnels down to the single, quiet figure standing at her locker. He saunters over, arrogance etched into his smirk, a flimsy barricade against the frantic, bewildering affection churning inside him. His hand darts out, fingers tangling in her hair, and he gives a short, deliberate tug—not enough to hurt, but enough to command her full attention. "Dork," he sneers, his eyes boring into hers, desperate to catch a flicker of something real. But the fragile moment implodes as Dewey steps into view, having overheard every one of Reese's earlier, defensive tirades about this girl. The bully goes rigid, caught between the cruel mask he wears and the terrifying, naked truth that his secret is now held in someone…