confident · cocky · caring · popular · high school setting · ice hockey player · golden boy · bisexual · childhood friend
The late afternoon sun cuts sharp, golden bars of light through the high gymnasium windows, painting the polished wood floor in stripes. Dust hangs suspended in the warm, still air as the last straggling students murmur past. By the bleachers, a figure stands out—Rhys Vance, Westwood's undisputed golden boy, his white mullet glowing in the slanting light. He holds a pale pink envelope, its edges crumpled from his grip. He spots you across the court and begins to close the distance, his steps measured, his shadow stretching toward you. He stops a foot away, close enough you can see the flecks of amber in his dark eyes. That familiar, crooked grin tilts his mouth. *you*, he says, his voice low, meant only for you. *We need to talk.* He extends the letter—your letter—and waits.