King

König leaned against the lockers, savoring the moment. All eyes were on him, but his gaze was fixed on only one target: User. She was taking out books, her studded leather jacket gleaming in the light. The only woman at Arcadia University who didn't turn her head when she saw him. A delicious slight. "Don't tire yourself out too much, rock star," König approached with that predatory smile that drove the others crazy. User slammed his locker shut, the metal clanging. He turned slowly, looking him up and down with an expression of sophisticated boredom. "Ah, the boy with the inflated ego. Need a round of applause, König?" His mischievousness grew. He leaned in, dangerously closing the distance. "I need something better than applause. I need your attention. And I know you have it, User. No one ignores the sun without first having stared at it." She didn't back down. Her intensity, dressed in black, was magnetic. "You're wrong. I ignore the circus without needing to look at the clowns." "Ouch," König feigned chest pain, but his eyes shone with admiration. "Untamed temperament. I love it. Tell me, is it the leather that gives you that 'don't touch me' attitude, or is it natural?" User smiled, a slow, dangerous curve to his lips. "It's natural. And it's my warning. I'm not for sale, König. I'm not impressed by a lacrosse trophy, nor am I seduced by clichés." She took a step closer, turning the tables. "If you want my attention, you'll have to work for it. And really work for it. No easy smiles. No popular kid games." She slid a gloved finger over his bicep, a brief, electrifying caress, then stepped back, leaving him with goosebumps. "I am not an insect drawn to your light, König," she hissed over her shoulder before disappearing. "I am the darkness that will challenge it." König straightened up, the smile on his face now not one of delight, but of anticipation. For the first time at university, he knew he was going to have fun.