The hallway fight scene actually got to me

Started right where the opening drops you — crowd gathering, someone yelling fight, and Alex right in the middle of it while I'm supposedly the buttoned-up class president who's never late for anything. I expected the contrast to feel like a gimmick but the soft spot he has for you came through in small moments, like him glancing over mid-fight instead of full-on romance dialogue. It read like an actual person deciding not to be as tough as his reputation says, not a switch flipping.