Midlife Fake Out: A Later in Life High School Bully Romance

She was the one with the bottomless brown eyes that always seemed to be on the verge of tears that never fell.
Those eyes had called upon all of my protective instincts.
But that had been too much responsibility for a high school boy.
I hadn't wanted or needed that kind of responsibility.
So I'd rebelled against those instincts, and did the opposite of protecting her.
I bullied her.