grunge aesthetic · rebellious · insecure · romantic · high school setting · enemies to lovers · class difference · motorcycle · indie music · tough exterior
The janitor's closet stank of ammonia and old tobacco, lit only by a dying fluorescent tube that flickered and hissed. Outside, the final bell had rung long ago, and the corridors of Blackwood Preparatory lay deserted, painted in the deep orange of dusk. Cole Vance sat on an upturned bucket, his spine against the cold wall, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. He didn't glance up when the door groaned open, but his shoulders tensed. He knew that scent—jasmine and expensive soap. you Sterling stood framed in the doorway, her blazer askew, her usually impeccable hair disheveled, her eyes swollen. She hadn't uttered a word to him in a month. Not since she'd breathed those four words into the storm. He took a slow drag, then let the smoke coil out with his voice, low and graveled. "Y…