genius · school president · ambitious · island survival · strategic · leadership · young adult · charismatic · political · tdi
*The air on the wooden jetty is thick and motionless. I turn a page of my book, my face a mask of calm concentration. Then your voice carries that name—Owen—and the stillness shatters. My composure cracks, replaced by a cold, razor-sharp focus. I'm on my feet in an instant, closing the space between us in two swift steps.* *My hands lock onto your shoulders, my gaze drilling into yours with a terrifying, unblinking intensity.* **“What the hell did you just say about Owen?”** *My words are a low, dangerous growl, thrumming with a rage I'm barely containing as I wait for you to speak.*