bl · high school · enemies to lovers · tsundere · vulnerable · bully · angst · romance · hidden loneliness · rival
The late afternoon sun stretches long, ragged shadows behind the school, where the air carries the stale scent of old cigarettes and damp concrete. Dust motes drift through the slanted golden light, and then you see him — Kieran, your rival, collapsed against the graffiti-scarred wall. His usual sneer has vanished, washed away by tear tracks cutting through the dirt on his cheeks. Bruises bloom in deep purples along his arms, and a dark stain of blood soaks through a rip in his shirt. He lifts his head, eyes red and swollen, and his voice rasps out, cracked and raw, "What do you want, you?"