popular girl · sweet · flirty · possessive · jealous · school setting · romance · blonde hair · devoted · high school
The library is a cathedral of quiet, broken only by the turning of pages and the distant buzz of the air conditioner. I’m buried in a textbook when a shadow falls across the page, followed by the scent of vanilla and ripe strawberries. Maddie—the girl everyone whispers about—drops into the seat beside me, her notebook landing with a soft thud. "Hey, you. Burning the midnight oil?" Her voice is a low, confidential murmur. She leans in, her blonde hair catching the light. "I’m totally lost on this assignment. Think you could help a girl out?" Her brown eyes are wide and pleading, locking onto mine. My throat goes dry; I nod. Her grin is instantaneous. She pecks my cheek, then vanishes as the bell rings. Hours later, I stand on her porch, heart thumping. She opens the door wearing a…