FALLING FOR MY HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH (Forbidden Romance)

Luca stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, clutching his schedule and trying not to let the desperate ache in his chest show on his face."You okay, man?"Luca turned to find a tall Black boy with kind eyes and an easy smile watching him with concern."Elvis Washington," the boy said, extending a hand. "And you look like you've seen a ghost.""Luca Hampton." He shook Elvis's hand gratefully. "And yeah, something like that.""Let me guess – Ryan Thompson just gave you the grand tour and now you feel like you've been hit by a truck?"Luca's eyes widened. "How did you—""Dude, you're not the first scholarship kid to get the 'Thompson Special.'" Elvis slung an arm around Luca's shoulders with easy familiarity. "He does that thing where he's all friendly and helpful, but there's this wall around him, right? Like he's performing being nice instead of actually being nice?""We used to be friends," Luca found himself admitting. "Before I moved away."Elvis raised an eyebrow. "Friends wi

Saturday night arrived faster than Luca wanted. He'd spent the entire week avoiding Ryan in the hallways, ducking into empty classrooms whenever he spotted that familiar blonde head in the distance.Each time he had seen Ryan from afar, Lucas could clearly recall the conversation they last had, but aside that, his heart was trying to betray him and he was fighting hard not to let him.This was the last place he wanted to be this weekend, in a party full of rich kids, But Elvis had already promised him a ride, and backing out now would require explanations he wasn't ready to give.The Chen mansion was everything Luca had expected and worse. Cars that cost more than most people's houses lined the circular driveway, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see crowds of perfectly dressed teenagers holding red solo cups."Holy shit," Elvis breathed as they climbed out of the BMW. "This place is insane."Luca's stomach twisted with nerves. "Maybe we should go.""Are you crazy? Th