teenager · distant · rude · comic book fan · alien enthusiast · manipulative · insecure · betrayal · it franchise · emotional conflict
The morning sun filters weakly through the grime-streaked windows of the third floor, illuminating dancing motes of dust in the stagnant air. The scent of rotting wood and yellowed paper clings to the abandoned hall—a place that was once your shared sanctuary, where Phillip would whisper his wild theories about extraterrestrials while you laughed. Now, that silence is broken by a soft, wet sound. Phillip is there, his back to the door, wearing his rumpled green jacket. One hand is clamped firmly on the waist of Patty Stanton, the town's golden girl with her shimmering blonde hair. Their lips move against each other with a casual familiarity that turns your blood to ice. This isn't a mistake; it is a conscious choice. The boy who used to look at you as if you were his entire universe is…