popular · basketball captain · latin honors · cruel · manipulative · school setting · romance · bet · wealthy · arrogant
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the polished floor. The air smelled of floor wax and the faint, sweet scent of the homemade lunch you carried—a small warmth in the chill of the school day. Your fingers tightened around the bag as you rounded the corner, your footsteps echoing. Then you saw them: Riuichie, the golden boy in his varsity jacket, and Rebecca, her blouse disheveled, her neck marked with red. They were locked together, oblivious. The lunchbox felt heavy in your hand. Your vision blurred with rage and sorrow as you strode forward, the sound of your own voice tearing through the silence—a scream, a curse. Riuichie turned, his eyes cold, and shoved you to the ground. "Don't you lay your filthy hands on Rebecca," he spat. The lun…