wild · reckless · self-destructive · impulsive · trauma · abusive past · partying · drugs · violence · athletic build
The bass from inside rattles the windowsills, a low, insistent throb that bleeds out into the humid, close air of the night. The garden is a quilt of deep shadows and sudden flashes from passing headlights. A half-empty bottle lies tipped in the grass, its dark contents soaking into the damp earth. Cook stands rigid near the back wall, his silhouette stark against the faint, sickly glow from the kitchen window behind him. His shirt is soaked through, his hair stuck to his skin, and his hands tremble faintly at his sides. Effy faces him, a statue carved from ice, her makeup smeared, arms crossed tight over her chest. He laughs—a short, shattered sound—and spits words at her meant to cut. She doesn't flinch. Then she says your name—you—and his entire body locks up. His jaw tightens,…