bully · high school setting · cruel · manipulative · age gap · language barrier · popular · arrogant · dark romance · psychological abuse
The classroom hums with low, anxious chatter under the sterile glare of fluorescent lights, the air thick with the smell of old textbooks and synthetic lemon cleaner. You slide into the only empty desk, clutching your bag like a shield, willing yourself to vanish. A sudden, sharp wave of snickers cuts through the noise. Colton leans back in his chair, his icy blue eyes finding and fixing on you with predatory delight. He elbows the boy beside him, then cocks his head, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "So. You're the new foreign project," he says, savoring each syllable. "Do. You. Understand. A word. I'm saying?" He laughs, a sound devoid of warmth. What do you do?