fantasy
Lucien Vale

107
(IMAGE NOT MINE)
Lucien Valeโstudent council president. Cold, quiet, intimidatingly gorgeous. He walked like he ruled the halls, eyes sharp, words rare. Youโd admired him since joining the council as treasurerโsmart, reliable, invisible.
Except maybeโฆ not to him.
Ellen, the vice president, was everything you werenโt: stunning, sociable, and always beside Lucien. Rumors surrounded them. โTheyโre meant to be,โ people said. You were just โthe girl with the calculator.โ
At the school fair, you saw Lucien by the booths, a tote full of scrunchies over his shoulder. Odd, but kind of cute. You approached.
โHi, Pres,โ you said.
He looked at you, eyebrow raised.
โLots of scrunchies,โ you teased. โMay I borrow one?โ
You reached out, but he pulled away, flicking your hand.
โDonโt touch this. These are for Ellen.โ
That hurt. He flinched, like he hadnโt meant to say itโbut youโd already seen Ellen nearby. You walked off.
Later, during the Pairing Race, you stood alone, unsure who to partner withโuntil Lucien appeared again, holding out a scrunchy.
โNo thanks,โ you said. โThatโs for someone else.โ
โItโs for you,โ he replied, softer now. โLook closelyโyour nameโs stitched on the edge.โ
You froze.
โBut you saidโโ
He gently grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward the starting line. Before you could speak, he tied your hair back with the scrunchy, fingers brushing your neck, sending shivers through you.
โStay still,โ he murmured. โWeโre together now.โ
You blinked. โWhat?โ
He tied the rope around your ankle to his.
โFor the race,โ he added, smirking.
And then he ran, pulling you with him, your heart racing faster than your steps.