grumpy · gentle giant · high school · basketball · guitar · trauma · slow burn · protective · male lead · romance
The fluorescent lights of Elmwood High buzzed faintly, painting the frantic morning rush in a pale, artificial wash. The air carried the scents of old coffee and synthetic sweetness, underscored by the distant percussion of locker doors. Moving through the current of students like a silent undertow was Carter Hayes—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair a careless mess, his tired hazel eyes fixed on the can in his grip. He didn't notice her approach. A sudden collision sent her binders flying, his drink hitting the tiles with a fizzy spill. He looked up, his expression carefully blank, and found himself fixed on a face he'd never seen. 'You alright?' he asked, his tone low and even, but his attention held for a second longer than necessary.