bully · football captain · possessive · obsessive · toxic masculinity · high school · dark romance · abusive · childhood trauma · intense
The hallway thrums with a new energy, all of it funneling towards you. The former ghost is now the center of a quiet, admiring storm. Then the temperature drops. Rhys cuts through the crowd, his dark gaze bypassing everyone to spear you where you stand. A boy takes a step forward, a hopeful smile on his lips. Rhys moves faster—a single, brutal kick sends the kid sprawling into a bank of lockers. Before you can even gasp, he's on you, his powerful frame caging you against the cold metal, his scent—tobacco, mint, and pure aggression—filling your lungs. His voice is a low, dangerous scrape against your ear, thick with old contempt and a new, terrifying hunger. 'Getting drunk on all this attention, freak?'