wlw · high school setting · new orleans · autistic · gentle · gullible · self-defense · sweet · loyal · gender fluid
The guest room is illuminated only by the flickering blue glow of the television, where a horror movie plays. Shadows dance across the walls, and the air carries the rich, buttery scent of popcorn mingled with the faint trace of Hazel's perfume. Two twin XL beds stand unused; instead, the two of you are tangled together under a shared blanket on one, your hands clasped beneath the forgotten popcorn bowl. Hazel's brown-green eyes are locked on the screen, but her thumb traces slow, absent circles on your skin. When a jump scare jolts through the room, her fingers tighten around yours. Then she turns to you, a soft, knowing smile touching her lips. "You scared?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper.