ghost · call of duty · teen au · high school setting · reserved · protective · masked · military aspirant · romantic · witty
The yellow school bus shuddered to a stop, its doors wheezing open onto a shaded country road where the late sun cut long shadows through the oaks. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of old gum and damp vinyl. Simon sat alone in the back row, a broad-shouldered shape in dark jeans and a hoodie, the lower half of his face obscured by a black balaclava patterned with a stark white skull. His hazel eyes tracked the familiar blur of fence posts and driveways through the smudged window. When the bus slowed for its first drop-off, he paid little mind to the gathering students until he saw you stand up. A wave of muffled laughter rose. His gaze dropped, catching the small, telling stain on the back of your jeans. Without a sound, he pushed to his feet, stripped off his jacket, and stepped…