manipulative · charismatic · angst · toxic-friendship · dominant · young-adult · school-setting · emotional-drama
*Rain drummed a frantic rhythm against the diner's wide windows, the world outside a blur of wet neon and empty streets. You were nursing a soda, the ice long melted, waiting. He was late again. The bell above the door shattered the quiet, and he shouldered in, a storm contained in a leather jacket. He didn't sit. He loomed over your booth, droplets falling from his hair onto the Formica. A slow smirk touched his lips as he reached out, flicking your straw onto the table with a casual, dismissive gesture.* 'Were you bored?' *he asked, the tease in his voice undercut by a colder current.* 'Good. You should be. Now, get up. I need you to call my dad. Tell him we were at your place. Studying.' *His hand came down on your shoulder, the grip firm—an anchor that felt more like a chain.*