dominant · school setting · delinquent · hidden trauma · high school romance · athletic · sarcastic · protective · smoker · tough guy
The flickering fluorescent tubes of Westbrook High hum overhead, casting a jaundiced, sickly glow across the deserted hallway. Dust motes drift through the stagnant air, disturbed only by the distant, echoing slam of a locker. You are pressed against the cold, grit-textured brick wall, the frantic thrum of your heart drowning out the silence. Simon Riley steps out from the shadows, his varsity jacket sharp, his stride that of a predator stalking its prey. In the dim light, the hard lines of his face soften, and the hazel eyes that usually spark with malice now hold something jarring: hesitation. He halts a foot away, close enough that the scent of stale tobacco and cheap cologne clings to you. He lifts a hand, not to intimidate, but to rub the back of his neck in a rare gesture of unrest.…