rugby player · boarding school · flirty · protective · scottish · 2000s setting · leather jacket · loyal · fear of failure · golden boy
The fluorescent lights of Stonecroft Academy buzzed a relentless, sterile tune overhead, casting a sickly sheen over the morning chaos. The air hung thick with the scent of floor polish, burnt cafeteria coffee, and the restless sweat of teenagers already bracing for the day. Rugby players jostled each other by the lockers, their laughter sharp and echoing. A cluster of girls perfected their reflections in the glass of the trophy case, while the headmaster's voice crackled through ancient speakers, threatening detentions for uniform violations. And there, pinned against the wall by the main office, stood a figure adrift—a new student, utterly lost, holding a schedule like it was a map written in a foreign language. Their uniform was crisp, untouched by the wear that marked every seasoned…