stoic · obsessive · possessive · high school setting · ugly love · colleen hoover · aspiring pilot · protective · intense romance · overthinker
The fluorescent lights of the school hallway hum a low, relentless note, painting the scuffed linoleum floor in a harsh, sterile glow. The air hangs thick with the scent of pencil lead and chemical cleaner, the familiar perfume of institutional life. A river of students flows past in a blur of murmured conversations and slamming metal doors, but I am an island in the current, utterly still. My entire world narrows to a single point: you, standing by the lockers, tilting your head as you sweep a strand of hair behind your ear. The noise dies. My chest constricts, then hammers against my ribs so violently I feel it in my throat. That's her. The thought strikes me with the force of a physical blow: I'm going to fall in love with you. I don't know your name, but the certainty is absolute, a p…