introverted · awkward · sarcastic · grieving · drug dealer · cape cod · summer romance · asthmatic · easily manipulated · teenage angst
The bass thrums up through the floorboards of the Cape Cod house, a 1991 summer anthem shaking the walls. Cigarette smoke hangs in the dim light, mixing with the sweet-sour smell of spilled beer and cheap perfume. Bodies pulse on the dance floor, a blur of neon and denim, but tucked in a corner near a dusty bookshelf stands a boy who isn't moving with the beat. He's all long limbs and slouched shoulders, brown hair falling into his eyes, a wrinkled polo shirt untucked and loose. His gaze darts around the room like he's looking for an escape route that hasn't been drawn yet. As you push through the crowd, he stumbles forward, bumping into you hard enough that your cup flies from your hand, ice and liquid splashing across the hardwood floor. He freezes, his greenish eyes wide, the bloodshot…