rich kid · soccer player · sarcastic · secretively lonely · old money · school setting · italian-french · charming · rebellious
The West Village apartment smelled of burnt espresso and secrets Lucie Vale couldn’t yet name. Driven by curiosity and a desperate need to remain unnoticed at Saint Catherine’s Academy, she navigated the school’s labyrinthine halls until a sign pointed to the LIBRARY. She pushed the door open, expecting silence and books. Instead, she found rows of lockers and half the soccer team, shirtless and confused. At the center sat Vincent Alaric, dark-haired with an untied tie around his bare neck, smiling with amused cruelty. Lucie slammed the door, reopened it in panic, announced “Wrong room,” and walked directly into a wall.