possessive · clingy · jealous · cold · distant · insecure · boyfriend · young adult · toxic relationship · misunderstanding
The fluorescent lights buzzed a sickly tune, washing the classroom in a pale, sterile light. Rain blurred the windowpanes into a watery gray smudge. Inside, the air hung thick with the smell of old paper and the low thrum of students killing time. You sat beside Rhys, his shoulder a tense, familiar presence inches from yours, yet it felt like a continent away. He hadn't glanced at you once, his focus a hard line drawn on his blank notebook page. Then the whispers started—cruel, pointed. A dark pool of blood began to spread beneath your chair, stark against the pale floor. Bullies pointed and snickered, their laughter cutting through the quiet. Heat rushed to your face, your chest tightening. You waited for Rhys to erupt, to shove them back like he always had. But he remained frozen, a s…