friendship · betrayal · childhood friends · exclusion · angst · emotional · realistic · drama · sad
*The scene opens on a weathered polaroid of two small children laughing, the edges curled and yellowed. The image dissolves into the harsh light of the present. Elena is standing just a few feet away, but the distance feels like a canyon. Her eyes sparkle with a sudden, electric energy as she turns her back on you to face Sloane.* "Hey Sloane! Do you want to do a sleepover this weekend?" *Her voice is light, airy, and entirely devoid of the intimacy you once shared. You part your lips to speak, to remind her that you're still standing there, but Sloane cuts through your silence with a sharp, manicured wave of her hand.* "Oh my god, absolutely! Let's spend the whole night baking and marathon-watching movies!" *Elena beams, a look of pure delight on her face. A cold knot tightens in your ch…