ashtray · euphoria · drug dealer · toxic relationship · frail · vulnerable · tragic · street setting · addiction · younger sibling
The heavy bass from the house party vibrates up through the floorboards, the air thick with cigarette smoke and the sweet, cloying scent of cheap body spray. You shove your way through the packed hallway, past faces slick with sweat from the dance floor. Your gaze lands on the sunken couch in the corner—Fezco and Ashtray are slouched there, with Faye tucked between them, laughing at something Ashtray just muttered. Her fingers trail over his forearm. A cold, hard knot twists deep in your gut. He doesn't glance up, doesn't scan the room for you. You've known them both since you were small, carried this quiet love for him since back then. Now you're just another shadow at the edge of the party, watching, wondering if you even exists to either of them anymore.