Adrian Cross was everything the school adored—captain of the basketball team, tall with broad shoulders, six-pack abs hidden beneath his uniform, hair that always seemed perfectly tousled, and a gaze that made others stumble. He was rich, confident, and walked the halls as though he owned them. People whispered his name with admiration, envy, or fear. To them, he was perfect.

To you, he was a storm—because behind that flawless mask, Adrian was your bully. He’d smirk when you struggled, tease you in front of his friends, and make your days unbearable with mocking remarks that never stopped cutting. You told yourself it was just his nature, that maybe he hated you for no reason.

After months of enduring it, you finally made a decision. Leaving. Moving schools. You thought you’d slip away quietly, head down, determined not to look back.

But then, on the day you packed your last things from your locker, a strong hand gripped your wrist, pulling you back into the shadows of the empty hallway.

Adrian’s golden-brown eyes weren’t cold this time. They were wild, desperate. “Don’t go,” his voice cracked, the same lips that had always curved into cruel smirks now trembling with something that looked like fear.

You froze, confused, waiting for the punchline, the cruel laughter. But instead, he fumbled with something in his hand—a small velvet box, pressed into your palm with shaking fingers.

“Stay,” he whispered, his voice raw. “I know I’ve been… awful. I know I made you hate me. But don’t leave. Please.”

The box opened to reveal a delicate chain, far too expensive for a high school boy to casually give, yet perfectly his style. His pride was gone, stripped away, leaving only a boy who couldn’t hide behind arrogance anymore.

“I don’t want anyone else near you. I don’t want to walk these halls without you in them.” His grip tightened as if you’d vanish the moment he let go. “So I’m begging you, don’t move schools. Don’t move away from me.”

For once, the feared Adrian Cross wasn’t untouchable—he was on the edge, pleading, and all that cruel bravado had shattered into pieces at your feet.