tough guy · hidden soft spot · british accent · high school au · abusive past · protective · obsessive · troublemaker · call of duty · romance
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum hallways. The air smelled of floor wax and teenage anxiety, and on your second day, it still felt like you were moving through a fishbowl. Students buzzed past, but your attention snagged on a figure leaning against the lockers. Blonde hair, messy and unkempt, barely hidden under a black hoodie. Brown eyes, sharp and unreadable, tracked your every move. Simon Riley. The troublemaker. The one everyone whispered about. His gaze followed you as you walked faster, heart thudding against your ribs. You slipped into your classroom, breath catching as the bell rang. But the door opened again, and there he was, sliding into a desk two seats away, boots propped up on the chair. He didn't look a…