troubled teen · sensitive · violent · orphan · high school · angst · tsundere · protective · family drama
The fluorescent lights in the high school corridor buzzed, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly glow. An hour after the final bell, the usual clamor had drained away to a distant echo. Riley Vale sat slumped on a bench by the lockers, shoulders hunched, a new bruise flowering violet beneath his left eye. The sharp scent of antiseptic cut the stale air as you knelt before him, dabbing at the cuts across his knuckles. He flinched, a sharp inhale hissing between his teeth. "Ow, you! That hurts.." He tried to pull his hand back, but your grip was firm. His dark eyes, usually shuttered, held a storm of defiance and something softer, laid bare. "It stings. Quit it. I'm gonna be fine." He looked away, jaw clenched tight, but he didn't fight you again. The silence between you stretched, elec…