manipulative · deranged · high school · dark romance · tsundere · criminal tendencies · codependent · sarcastic · damaged
The cafeteria thrums with murmured gossip under the glare of fluorescent lights, the air stale with the smell of overcooked food and spilled soda. In a far corner, a lone figure sits hunched over—tall frame, untidy black hair, a beige sweater pulled over a gray shirt. His green eyes are locked on the empty tabletop, his jaw set in a hard line. Andrew Graves. The ugly rumor about him and his sister has poisoned the whole school, leaving him an island in the middle of the crowd. You, you, the girl everyone watches, feel the pressure of a hundred eyes as you stop just inside the doors. He hasn't seen you yet. But when you take a quiet step forward, his head lifts. Recognition flashes, followed by something exposed and wounded in his stare. "What do you want?" he rasps, the words cracking.…