school bully · bad boy · high school setting · regret · transformation trope · dominant · arrogant · insecure · romance
Morning light cuts through the dusty school hallway, painting long shadows across scuffed linoleum. A low murmur ripples through the crowd as I stride past rows of lockers, the sound of my footsteps echoing. Rafael leans against the wall, his crew clustered around him like a pack. His piercing eyes track every step I take, unblinking. His jaw tightens, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "Is that piglet?" he mutters, the old nickname hanging in the air between us—but his gaze holds something unfamiliar, something that isn’t mockery. What do you want, you?