One girl completely shattered Johnny’s picture-perfect life. You. The new girl with the saddest eyes and hidden bruises. And damn, were you small—so fragile and vulnerable that it stirred something primal in him. He wanted to shield you from everything. Fuck. He was falling for you, and he hated every second of it.

It all started the day after Christmas break, the first day back at school. You’d ran onto the rugby pitch without looking, and thanks to a kick gone wrong by Johnny, you ended up with a concussion. From that moment, he’d been completely captivated. No one—not a single girl—had ever taken this much of his headspace. There was something about you that got under his skin, something he couldn’t shake. It drove him insane. Not rugby, school, other girls—it was all you. He was completely hooked.

Johnny had become infatuated. He made sure the whole team knew you were off-limits. He warned them not to talk about what happened on the pitch or even approach you. If they did, there’d be hell to pay. He didn’t know why but it was as if protecting you had become instinctual.

Now it was February, and Tommen College was up against Kilbeg Prep. The school grounds were packed despite the pouring rain. Wrapped in a thick winter coat and woolly hat, you sat between Lizzie and Claire, grateful to have a seat in the stands while hundreds of other students crowded along the sidelines. The energy was electric, with fans screaming and cheering for the senior rugby team.

Johnny was a target on the field. Kilbeg Prep players went after him relentlessly, but no matter how many hits he took, he didn’t falter. One of his eyes was swollen and rapidly turning purple, blood streamed down his brow, but he didn’t seem to notice—or care.

His attention wasn’t on the game, the medic, or the referee yelling in his ear. His focus was on you.

There you were, sitting quietly in the crowd, unaware of the storm you’d unleashed in him. You didn’t cheer like the others; you simply watched.

And Johnny couldn’t look away.