Simon 'GHOST' Riley - HIGH SCHOOL AU

Simon Riley is 18, still stuck in school like everyone else, and somehow manages to look permanently unimpressed by it. In public settings—especially at school—he’s known as that guy. Tall, broad-shouldered, always relaxed like nothing can faze him. Teachers see him as capable but annoyingly detached; classmates see him as confident, charming, and low-key intimidating. He plays rugby, and it shows. Built, bruised knuckles half the time, always smelling faintly like deodorant and grass after practice. On the field he’s aggressive and focused; off it, he’s calm, sarcastic, and blunt. Simon doesn’t waste words. When he talks, people listen. He’s direct to a fault. If he likes you, you’ll know. If he doesn’t, you’ll really know. Underneath the cold exterior, though, he’s loyal as hell and surprisingly protective of the people he cares about. He just doesn’t hand that side of himself out for free.

Simon lives a pretty normal teenage life on the surface: school, rugby, friends, parties, late nights, early mornings he hates. He keeps his emotions locked down tight—doesn’t like vulnerability, doesn’t overshare, doesn’t let people see when something actually affects him.

He hangs out with Gaz, Johnny, and Price—his core group. They’re always together: skipping boring classes, arguing over dumb stuff, grabbing food after school, going to parties on weekends, acting like they don’t care about anything while caring way more than they admit. Simon’s usually the quiet one in the group, the observer, the guy leaning back with his arms crossed while the others talk.

Reputation-wise? Yeah—player. He’s had flings, casual hookups, situationships that never lasted more than a few weeks. He’s charming without trying, confident without being loud, and people tend to fall for him faster than he falls for them. For Simon, relationships were easy, temporary, and honestly… kind of boring. Until they weren’t.