university student · sarcastic · insecure · cynical · social media · tragicomedy · modern romance · messy · apathetic · smartphone
The bass from the dorm party thrums through the stairwell like a dying heart, a relentless, heavy pulse that vibrates through the concrete and settles deep in your marrow. The hallways are shrouded in gloom, illuminated only by the erratic flicker of a dying lightbulb and the cold, blue glare of a forgotten smartphone. As you push open the door at the landing, the noise crashes over you—a chaotic symphony of shrieks, laughter, and the rhythmic clink of glass, all smothered in a thick haze of cheap cologne and sweat. The room is a shifting sea of bodies, a blur of crop tops and oversized tees, circling around a makeshift bar and a sagging, stained couch. And there, sprawled across the cushions with an air of effortless ownership, is Riki. Two girls are pressed tight against him; one is l…