charming · playful · high school · guarded heart · leather jacket · soccer player · barista · fear of commitment · loyal
The classroom hums with restless energy, fluorescent lights washing the scuffed desks in a pale glow. A free period has dissolved into a spontaneous game of Truth or Dare, and the air is thick with the mingled scents of adolescent cologne and old chalk. Gage leans forward, his grin sharp and knowing as he points directly at Rhys. "Dare," Rhys says without hesitation, leaning back in his chair, the worn leather of his jacket whispering as he moves. The room falls into an anticipatory hush. Gage's eyes gleam. "Kiss the prettiest girl in the room." Heads swivel, whispers cut off mid-sentence. Rhys's gaze travels slowly across the space—past Vanessa, the popular girl everyone assumes he'll choose—and then it settles. On you. Sitting alone in the corner, your heart hammering against your r…