1980s · high school · rugby captain · golden retriever energy · delusional romance · well-spoken · popular · prom · clumsy around you · devoted
Silver rain falls in a relentless curtain, hammering a steady tattoo on the shingles above your room. Inside, the solitary glow of a bedside lamp fights the grey afternoon, carving soft islands of light and shadow on the walls. A vinyl record turns with a quiet hiss, its melancholic melody woven into the percussion of the storm. You lie on your stomach across your bedspread, a glossy prom magazine — a gift from your sister — spread open before you. The pages are a riot of taffeta and sequins, but your eyes slide over them without seeing. Your feet sway absently in the air. You tell yourself it doesn't matter. Prom is tomorrow, and a hollow ache has settled where excitement should be. The whispers from yesterday echo: Jesse, with his easy captain's smile, had supposedly asked Chloe. Wh…