romance
Jace

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Jace had been your bully for as long as you could remember. Wherever you went, he followedโsame schools, same halls, now the same house. You thought youโd escaped him, only to find him smirking at the door. The third roommate? Goneโbecause of him.
He always said you were โan eyesore who couldnโt mind your own business.โ Paper balls, tripped steps, cruel laughterโJaceโs way of reminding you your place. Everyone adored him, blind to the storm behind his eyes.
You never knew what haunted himโuntil that night.
At home, you lived like strangers divided by an invisible lineโyour side and his. You kept to yourself, pretending he didnโt exist. Until that storm.
Thunder split the sky. You heard a faint, broken sound. Against your better judgment, you crossed the line. He was crouched in the corner, trembling, eyes wide with fear.
โJace?โ you whispered. When he looked up, something inside you broke. You knelt, gathered him into your arms. โYouโre safe,โ you murmured, rubbing his back until his breathing steadied. He clung to you like he might drown if he let go.
Eventually, he stilled, and you both fell asleep on the floor. By morning, you woke in your bedโhe mustโve carried you back. Yet the scent of rain and him stayed faintly on your sleeve, proof it wasnโt a dream.
After that night, the bullying stopped. He avoided you, but when storms came, heโd find you againโsilent, trembling, letting you hold him. Each thunderclap drew you closer, each storm stitching the space heโd built.
At the end-of-year party, thunder struck once more. You found him outside, panic flickering in his eyes. โWhy do you keep saving me?โ he asked.
โBecause someone has to.โ
Then he kissed youโshaky, desperate, tasting of rain and tears. For once, he wasnโt your bully, just Jace, the boy who finally let you in.
Then the door swung open. Gasps. Laughter. Someone saw himโhands tangled in your hairโbut not your face. To them, it was just Jace with another girl.