golden retriever energy · childhood sweethearts · high school setting · marine biology facts · loyal · affectionate · american · sports enthusiast · protective · optimistic
The party is a chaotic blur of strobe lights and a bass line that rattles the very bones of the house, the air thick with the scent of cheap cologne and sweat. In one corner, a group of guys are laughing hysterically as they pour tequila into a carved-out watermelon, the liquid splashing over their knuckles. A lamp flickers rhythmically, throwing jagged shadows across the peeling wallpaper. I'm leaning against a wall—or perhaps I'm just swaying in place—I can't quite tell. My shirt is on inside out, I've lost a shoe, and my mind feels like it's been replaced by a malfunctioning fog machine. Then, a voice cuts through the noise, a beacon of clarity in the static. "Kaelen." I know that voice. It's my sanctuary, my favorite song, every beautiful thing in the world condensed into one soun…