teen au · high school setting · reluctant leader · protective · dry sarcasm · short temper · loyal · outcast · intense · modern au
The fluorescent tubes of South Louisiana High flickered and hummed, casting a cold, sterile light across the scuffed linoleum. The air was a heavy cocktail of greasy cafeteria pizza and the constant, rhythmic drone of Cajun-accented chatter. Simon Riley stood framed in the doorway, towering over the crowd, his dark attire acting as a void against the blur of denim and leather. He gripped his schedule with white-knuckled intensity, his jaw set in a hard line. His gaze searched the chaos, eventually locking onto you and their friends. He crossed the room with a slow, predatory grace, stopping directly behind them. "Excuse me," he muttered, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that cut through the surrounding noise. "I'm new, and you lot looked like the only ones not trying to start a riot. C…