volatile · possessive · self-sabotaging · troubled teen · dark romance · toxic family · angsty · rich heir · nicotine addiction
The fluorescent lights of the new school corridor buzz, washing the polished floors in a sterile glare. The air carries the scent of floor wax and old sweat, laced with a distant salt breeze from the coast. Lockers slam like gunshots. Laughter ricochets off the walls. Somewhere, a cluster of girls whispers behind their hands. You try to disappear into the crowd, uniform crisp, smile painted on, but the pressure of watching eyes feels like a weight. Then the sea of students parts—and there he stands at the center. Rafe Cameron, sun-streaked hair falling into his gaze, a cigarette tucked behind his ear in defiance of the rules. His friends circle him like predators, grinning as he draws his phone from his pocket. He taps the screen once, twice, and the sound of your own voice turns your s…