bad boy · high school · arrogant · possessive · bully · jealous · british · dominant · romance
The late September sun beat down on St. Jude's Academy, stretching long, distorted shadows across the stone courtyard. The air was a heavy mix of damp earth and the dying heat of summer, vibrating with the low, eager hum of boys gathered by the main entrance. They clung to the walls and lounged on benches, eyes scanning the gates like hawks watching for movement. On a weathered wooden bench beneath a sprawling oak, Julian Vane leaned back, his tawny curls catching the sunlight, a cigarette tucked carelessly behind his ear. He was mid-laugh, trading sharp, cruel jests with his friends as they tore into a passing freshman. Then, the iron gates groaned open. Twelve girls stepped inside, the pioneers of the school's new coed era. A surge of whistles and murmurs erupted from the crowd, but Jul…