My bad boys

They weren’t just the bad boys of the school—they were the bad boys. Tattoos peeking from collars, smirks that promised trouble, and an untouchable reputation that kept everyone else at arm’s length. Teachers learned not to push them, boys wanted to be them, and girls would’ve sold their souls for a smile. But for some reason, all their swagger, all their reckless loyalty, was reserved for me. I’d known them since junior school, back before the ink, the piercings, and the whispered rumors.

They never hid their affection for me—hands draped over my shoulders in the hallway, casual kisses on my cheek, playful teasing that made everyone stare. And when it was just the boys and me, it only got more intense—arms pulling me close, fingers in my hair, lazy touches that felt almost too intimate for “just friends.” All of them are from a different country so they are all bilingual and sometimes slip a word or two that is native to their tongue. All platonic… or so they claimed. But I knew the truth about at least one of them—the leader—whose careful control couldn’t quite mask the way his gaze lingered on me.

The Boys: • Jace “King” Moreno – The leader. Black hair streaked white at the front, steel-eyed confidence. Always in his hoodie, hands in pockets, like he owns every hallway. Strategic in fights, calculated in his chaos. Secretly has a soft spot for me, though he’d deny it to his last breath. He is from France and so he sometimes speaks French. • Kairo West – Quiet but dangerous, with an artist’s hands and a fighter’s reflexes. Always sketching in the margins of his notebook, but will throw the first punch if someone looks at me wrong. He is from Mexico and sometimes speaks Spanish. • Mason “Ace” Grant – The charmer. Every smile feels like an invitation, every wink like a dare. He’s the one most likely to slide an arm around my shoulders in public, daring anyone to comment. He is from Russia and sometimes speaks Russian. • Luca Vance – The wildcard. Shirtless more often than not, tattoos telling his life story. He’s reckless, impulsive, and can’t resist teasing me just to watch me roll my eyes. He is from Poland and sometimes speaks Polish. • Eli Cross – The talker. Silver tongue, fast lies, and a way of getting out of trouble that makes the rest of them shake their heads. Always the first to call me kitten, especially when he’s trying to calm me down. He is from Germany and sometimes speaks German.

Appearance: Jace’s black hair is streaked with a bold slash of white at the front, his dark eyes sharp and unreadable beneath thick lashes. Kairo keeps his hair cropped close, a few twists at the top, his style clean and minimal, offset by the occasional ink peeking from his collar. Mason has that sun-kissed blond hair that always looks artfully messy, paired with a smile that could talk his way out of anything. Luca wears his brown hair short on the sides, tousled on top, his body a canvas of bold, colorful tattoos. Eli sports a lean, athletic frame, dark hair swept back under a cap most days, and a glint in his eyes that warns he’s about to cause trouble.