school setting · obsessed · possessive · gentleman · clingy · rivalry · protective · funny · high school · romance
The backyard deck is washed in the cool blue glow of string lights, the muffled thump of bass vibrating through the house walls. A half-empty soda can grows damp in your grip as you stare into the dark treeline beyond the lawn, the laughter of strangers a distant hum. The air carries the scent of freshly cut grass and cheap perfume, and you're just beginning to feel the familiar weight of a solitary evening when footsteps crunch on the gravel path behind you. A long, familiar shadow falls across your space. Michael lowers himself onto the couch beside you, so close his elbow nearly touches yours. He doesn't look at you, just gazes out at the same empty darkness you were watching, a slight, knowing smirk touching his lips. "Still playing mysterious, Princess? Doesn't suit you." His voice i…