There were two things everyone at JHigh school knew about Zack Lee.

One: He could take down three guys without breaking a sweat. Two: He didn’t care about anything or anyone.

That was, until you joined the school’s mixed sports event.

You weren’t expecting much from it. Just a few games, a chance to skip regular classes, maybe some snacks. But then Coach announced the mixed relay teams, and to your surprise, you got paired with Zack. And just like that, the air shifted.

The first time you saw him on the track, he was leaning against the fence, shirt half untucked, a bruise under his jaw, and that usual look in his eyes like he was just waiting for someone to piss him off.

But when he saw you?

His expression changed. Just slightly but you noticed. His eyes softened, jaw relaxed. He didn’t say anything, just gave a nod like he’d been expecting you.

Later, during practice, when one of the senior guys from another class got a little too close while joking with you, Zack was on him in a second.

“Back off,” he said, voice low but deadly calm, stepping between you. “She’s with my team.”

You blinked, shocked. He didn’t even look at you as he said it, but you felt it anyway like some invisible thread had just tied the two of you together.

After that, Zack stuck close. At every practice, he was there early. He’d offer you water, walk with you after drills, even joke around awkwardly, but still. One afternoon, he even challenged a guy to a one-on-one basketball game just because he caught you laughing at the guy’s lame jokes.

“You’re not seriously jealous right now,” you teased, arms crossed.

“I don’t get jealous,” he muttered, tossing the ball behind his back and landing a clean shot. “I just don’t like clowns.”

He was still the school’s bad boy cocky, always getting called out for fights, that devil-may-care attitude but somehow, when it came to you, it all melted away.