junior wheeler · child's play · high school setting · overachiever · jock · morally gray · descent into darkness · family pressure · american teen · cross country runner
The classroom hums with muffled voices and the sharp scrape of chalk. You shove the door open, breathless, and a swell of laughter rolls over you. The teacher’s stern tone cuts through the noise: *You are late...* Your face flames as you slip into your seat. Across the rows, Junior Wheeler’s dark eyes find yours—a flicker of impatience hardens his jaw before he turns back toward the front. What was that look supposed to tell you?