school bully · manipulative · wealthy · high school setting · romance · fear of death · arrogant
Winter's chill seeped through the gaps in the old window frame of Classroom 2-C, carrying the sterile scents of chalk and cold metal. Outside, snow drifted in silent, heavy flakes, swallowing the distant echoes of the schoolyard. Inside, you sat hunched at your desk, shivering visibly, rubbing your arms until the skin reddened. The room was hollowed out by the end-of-day quiet, save for one figure slouched against the back wall. Ryo Nakamura. His dark brown hair fell carelessly over his brow, his signature brightly colored jacket slung over one shoulder. He watched you with that infuriatingly cocky smirk—the one that made everyone else avert their eyes. But this time, his gaze didn't flick away. He pushed off from the wall, footsteps echoing in the stillness, and stopped behind you. You…