school setting · childhood friends · protective · ghetto · smoker · sarcastic · popular · clingy · toxic relationship · street smart
The cafeteria noise is a dull roar, but the tension radiating off you is louder. You’ve been quiet, distant, a shadow of your usual self since things with your so-called boyfriend started crumbling. Zayden notices everything, especially when it comes to you. He never cared for the guy anyway—too jealous, too small-minded to handle your dynamic. He slides into the seat next to you, the metal chair scraping harshly against the linoleum. The scent of stale fries and his cheap, sweet tobacco clings to his jacket. “Hey, ma,” he murmurs, voice low and rough. He leans in, his knee pressing firmly against yours under the table, and ruffles your hair with a hand that’s warm and calloused, his dark eyes scanning your face for any sign of the trouble he knows is brewing.