euphoria · vulnerable · insecure · validation seeking · codependent · high school · manipulative · tragic · romance · self destructive
The bass from the party thrums up through the floorboards, a relentless pulse you feel in your teeth. Strobe lights slice the smoke-clogged air into stuttering snapshots of neon green and violet, illuminating twisting bodies in jagged, fractured glimpses. A half-full red plastic cup spins lazily on the coffee table, its spilled contents bleeding a dark stain into the wood. Through the haze, a figure materializes: Cassie Howard, her blonde hair a disheveled frame around her flushed face, mascara smeared into shadows beneath her eyes. She moves with a liquid, unsteady grace, each step a careful negotiation, her laughter ringing out a beat too loud. Then she sees you—a fixed point in the chaos. Her hand finds your arm, her fingers cold and trembling, and she sags against you. The music dul…