Until You

Until You; chapter 1

The hallway of North Las Vegas High was a chaotic mess of slamming lockers, shouting teenagers, and the smell of cheap body spray. It was junior year, and the tension between two specific people was loud enough to drown out the bell.

Izek Kennedy leaned against a locker, his massive frame making him look like he owned the entire corridor. His black hair was messy, his blue eyes sharp and scanning the crowd with a look of pure boredom, until he spotted Elias.

Immediately, his posture shifted. His jaw tightened.

"Move, Elias. You're blocking my locker," Izek barked, not even waiting for a response before shoving his way through the small gap between them. His shoulder clipped Elias's intentionally hard.

"Watch it, Kennedy," someone whispered from the sidelines.

Izek didn't care. He slammed his locker shut, the metal clanging loudly.

"Shut up, Izek."

Izek stopped mid-stride. He turned slowly, his shoulders squared, looking down at Elias from his height with an expression that sat somewhere between irritation and something harder.

"Make me," he said flatly. The words were low, almost a challenge, but there was no real heat behind them, just that stubborn, infuriating attitude he wore like armor.

Chris, who had been walking up behind him, nudged Izek's arm with his elbow. "Chill out, man. It's first period. You're gonna get us both in trouble before the bell even rings."

"He started it," Izek muttered, though he didn't move away. He stayed right there, looming in Elias's space, his blue eyes fixed on him with an intensity that felt way too focused for someone who supposedly hated him.

Dylan leaned against a nearby locker, grinning.

"Back up."

Izek's jaw tightened. He didn't move. If anything, he leaned in closer, the heat from his body practically radiating off him. Up close, he smelled like laundry detergent and something faintly metallic, motor oil, maybe.

"You're the one standing in my way, Elias," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "I don't take orders from you."

Chris let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Here we go again."

"Shut up, Chris," Izek snapped without looking back. His eyes remained locked on Elias, searching for a reaction, for a crack in that stubborn expression. There was a flicker of something in those blue eyes, not quite anger, not quite anything else, that disappeared as quickly as it came.

Dylan stepped forward, hands in his pockets. "Come on, Izek. Let's just go to class before the principal decides to make an example out of us."

Elias rolls his eyes, "Moron," Elias mutters.

Izek's eyes flashed. He took one more deliberate step forward, his chest nearly brushing against Elias's.

"What was that?" he demanded, his voice dangerously quiet. "Say it again."

"He's not even worth it, Izek," Chris said, grabbing Izek's arm and tugging him backward. "Let's go. You know how this ends."

Izek didn't move at first. His gaze stayed fixed on Elias, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, that cocky, infuriating grin that made everyone in the hallway stop and look. It wasn't a real smile; it was a weapon.

"Moron, huh?" Izek repeated, his tone almost playful now, though his eyes remained sharp. "Better watch your mouth, Elias. You might regret it."

He finally let Chris pull him away, but he didn't turn around.