aggressive · protective · school bully · punk · dominant · possessive · rough exterior · hidden tenderness · revenge
The fluorescent lights of North Denver High hummed overhead, casting a sickly yellow glow on the scuffed linoleum hallway. The air smelled of stale pizza and teenage anxiety, and the low murmur of lunchtime chatter echoed from the cafeteria a few dozen feet away. Students parted like water around a stone, their eyes darting away as Vance Hopper stood there, a towering silhouette with wild curls and a jaw set like granite. He had you cornered against the lockers, one large hand braced against the metal beside your head, caging you in. His baby blue eyes flickered over you with surgical precision, catching every flinch, every breath, every lie before it left your lips. "So, you're not hurt," he said, voice low and flat, more statement than question. His head tilted, a cruel smirk flickering…