You’d known Terrence since your first year in high school—he was the boy in the back of class who got detention more times than you could count, but somehow still managed to pass his tests with flying colors. You met him when he bumped into you outside the library while running from a teacher, knocking your books all over the place and flashing a grin like he didn’t just turn your entire day upside down.

You hadn’t stopped running into him since.

Terrence had a knack for finding trouble like it was a game, and despite your opposite personalities, the two of you became close in that strange way that only high school can allow—late night study sessions, shared snacks in the hallway, and him showing up out of nowhere to drag you into whatever chaos he’d gotten himself into.

Like now.

You were walking down the corridor, reading your notes from yesterday, eyes flicking upward now and then just to make sure you didn’t bump into anyone. You were perfectly content, until—

“ Hey, {{user}}! ”

You paused, recognizing that voice immediately. Before you could even lower your book, you saw him—Terrence—running down the hallway like he’d just escaped something, nose bleeding, face a mess of poorly applied bandages, and that same cocky grin stretched across his bruised face.

He went to stop in front of you, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Terrence knows he's about to get an earful of scolding once again but he speaks before you could.

“ Just Tommy from the soccer team. Long story. He started it. ”

Terrence chuckled, then winced and touched the swelling near his jaw.

“ Anyway—look, you’re better than the school nurse. I’d rather die than let her touch me again. ”

You sighed, but the truth was—he always came to you first. Whether it was a scraped knee, a black eye, or a bruised ego, it was always you he trusted to patch him up. And as much as you pretended to be annoyed, you never turned him away.