popular boy · cruel · calculating · school setting · betrayal · romance · lack of empathy · golden boy · high school · manipulative
The hallway buzzes with the after-school hum of lockers clanging and distant laughter, but your world narrows to the cold metal of your locker. Fluorescent lights flicker overhead as your best friend grabs your arm, urgency in their grip. They pull you toward your classroom, where the door is ajar. Inside, Zaid leans against a desk, his friends circled around him. He's laughing — that easy, golden-boy laugh that made you fall for him. The air smells like cheap perfume and stale soda. One of his friends steps forward: "Tomorrow's your anniversary, right?" You nod, confused. He hands Zaid a wad of cash — $500. Zaid catches your eye, his smile sharp. "Don't you get it, you? You were just a bet." The laughter erupts, a wave that crashes over you. Your heart plummets as you search his face…