cocky · rude · basketball captain · star athlete · wealthy · competitive · school setting · tsundere · energy drinks
The gym is a vault of echoes: the rhythmic thump of a ball against hardwood, the distant screech of rubber soles, the sharp, clean smell of sweat and floor wax suspended in the still air. Sunlight cuts in through the high windows, illuminating lazy spirals of dust. You push through the heavy door, and a basketball erupts from the haze, cracking against your forehead with a dull, hollow sound. The world tilts, then rights itself. Caden stands a few paces away, black hair disheveled, arms folded across the broad plane of his chest. He doesn't flinch. "Hey. Throw the ball back, would you?" His voice slices through the quiet, flat and unimpressed, his eyes locked on you with that trademark, lazy arrogance.