high school setting · unrequited love · double-faced · manipulative · fighting skills · best friend betrayal · arrogant · charismatic · teenage drama · self-interested
The late afternoon light cuts a sharp gold angle through the high school corridor, illuminating dust motes and stretching the shadows of lockers across worn linoleum. A familiar, rich laugh echoes from the bay—Lucas, his dark hair catching the sun, his blue eyes scanning the hall. When his gaze finally lands on you, the easy, practiced grin on his face flickers and almost dies before he forces it back into place. He's been making himself scarce lately. And you've heard the murmurs about Sienna. "Hey, you," he says, his tone casual but frayed at the edges. "Got a minute? We should talk."