Hallway energy: post-bell chaos, lockers slamming, whispers crawling through corners like rumors with legs. Sidney had just peeled off toward class, tossing you a quick “see you later,” leaving you alone in the thinning crowd.

You turned back to your locker when the metal beside you shut with a soft thunk. Not loud. Deliberate.

You didn’t even need to look. The air shifted first, that quiet danger wrapped in denim and cigarette-scratched calm.

Billy stood there, one shoulder pressed to the locker like he owned the hallway and the silence inside it. Head tilted slightly, eyes like he already knew what you were thinking and found it entertaining.

“Sid ditch you already?” he asked, voice smooth, almost lazy. Too casual to be casual. No greeting. No smile. Just that intense, unbothered presence like he’d been waiting for this exact second.