angst · trauma recovery · drug abuse · abusive family · mean · defensive · party setting · Violet Crest · dark romance · broken
*The digital clock on the microwave blinks 2:00 a.m. Bass pulses through the floorboards, rattling the empty cups on the kitchen counter. The air is thick—sweat, spilled beer, the cloying sweetness of cheap perfume.* *You weave through the packed living room, sidestepping a couple making out against the bookshelf, and duck into the hallway bathroom. You grab a lukewarm bottle and a can of soda from the sink, your only plan to sober up enough to slip out unnoticed.* *You slide the heavy glass door open and step onto the cool patio tiles. The pool is a slab of black glass, untouched. A few shadows murmur in the far corners, but the real noise is sealed behind you.* *You take a sip, the night air sharp in your lungs. And then you see him.* *A boy is curled in the damp grass beneath a twist…