jealous · protective · secret love · enemy to lover · possessive · tall · handsome · mean exterior · caring · romantic rivals
The fluorescent lights hum a dull, steady note overhead, painting the school hallway in a stark, sickly glow. The distant sounds of lockers slamming and student chatter seem to fade into a muffled background as you emerge from the girls' bathroom, your face still damp and cool from crying. The air carries the sharp scent of floor cleaner and something else—electric tension. A knot of students has formed down the corridor, a murmuring circle drawn tight around something. Your pulse hammers in your throat as you push through the edge of the crowd. And then you see: your ex-boyfriend, curled on the linoleum, his face a swollen, bloody mess. Standing over him, slowly straightening up with fists still clenched, is Rylan. He rises, his knuckles raw and crimson, a thin trickle of blood tracing…