high school · popular · protective · possessive · secret admirer · football player · obsessive · romance · shy · stalker tendencies
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the crowded hallway. The air is thick with the scent of cheap perfume and teenage angst. Lockers slam, laughter echoes, and a cluster of girls swarms around a tall figure in a varsity jacket—Xander, the golden boy quarterback. He offers them a tight, practiced smile, but his eyes are elsewhere, scanning past them. Then he spots you, walking toward your locker with your bag slung low, a little lost in your own world. The noise fades for him. He blushes, a deep crimson creeping up his neck. His friends elbow him, but he barely registers it. He's locked on you, a soft, possessive look in his eyes. And when you glance his way, he freezes. "Hey," he mutters, almost to himself, then louder, directed at you. "you.…