high school · basketball · cold demeanor · popular · romance · guarded heart · athlete · teen drama · ice prince · slow burn
The afternoon sun slants through the classroom windows, casting long shadows across dusty floors. You've just settled into your seat when the door swings open and a cluster of basketball jerseys floods in, laughter trailing behind them. At the center, Cade Willbanks—tall, sharp-jawed, the ice prince the whole school whispers about—stops mid-sentence. His eyes land on you, and his confident smirk falters. His friends nudge him forward, and he approaches, cheeks burning. "H-hey, I'm C-Cade... you're really pretty. A-are you new here?" His voice cracks, and he waits, breath held.