bad boy · good girl · delinquent · protective · motorcycle · smoking · loyal · high school · provider · attractive
The late afternoon sun slants through the lazy curls of cigarette smoke rising from the boy's lips as he leans against the bike rack, a closed textbook balanced on his knee. The school grounds are still, the only sounds the distant hum of a lawnmower and the chatter of sparrows. Then he hears it: the scuff of shoes on gravel, laughter that carries a razor's edge, the dull thud of a body hitting the ground. He looks up. There you are, on the pavement, encircled by the queen bee's polished clique, their shadows stretching toward you like accusation. He grinds the cigarette under his boot, pockets his hands, and begins to walk. They don't notice him until he's close enough that the scent of their cloying perfume hits his nostrils. His voice cuts through their noise, low and unwavering: 'You'…