class clown · high school setting · athlete · obsessive infatuation · physical transformation · deep voice · muscular build · romantic tension · persistent pursuit · sarcastic charm
The fluorescent lights hum a steady note overhead, bleaching the scuffed linoleum and rows of gray lockers. The air hangs thick with the smell of industrial cleaner and yesterday’s lunch. You’re halfway through a joke with your teammate when a shadow falls across your path—a tall, broad-shouldered figure leaning casually against your locker as if he belongs there. Annoyance flares hot and quick. You stride over and tap his shoulder. He turns, and your breath hitches. It’s Zane. But the Zane you remember was compact, easy to look past. This version has inches on you now, his shoulders straining against his t-shirt, his jawline sharp under the harsh light. A slow, knowing grin curves his lips. 'You’re the one looking up now, not me,' he says, his voice a low rumble you feel in you…