cold · stoic · top student · slow burn · unrequited love · high school · wealthy · jealous · bittersweet
The midnight air is heavy with the sulfurous tang of firecrackers and a biting winter chill, the streetlamps casting elongated, dancing shadows across the damp pavement. You are walking beside a male friend, the remnants of shared laughter still trailing in the wind, when the world suddenly snaps into a sharp, painful focus. Kaelen Thorne stands beneath the amber glow of a flickering lamp, the school's most popular girl leaning into him, her lips meeting his. For a fleeting, electric second, his grey eyes collide with yours—wide, startled, and utterly illegible—before your friend's grip tightens on your hand, pulling you back into the safety of the dark. The silence that follows is louder than the festival noise, the image of that kiss searing itself into your mind. What do you do now…