teen angst · abusive home · touch starved · sarcastic · trauma · rock music · self harm · vulnerable · high school · push pull
The heavy bass from the stereo vibrates up through the floorboards, a relentless pulse beneath the cacophony of shouted conversations and careless laughter filling your house after the dance. Simon lingers on the periphery of the living room, his shoulders curled inward, the fabric of his dark hoodie drawn taut around him. His pale blue eyes perform a frantic, scanning dance across the room before snagging on you for a fleeting, electric second and then jerking away. He adjusts his stance, his fingers beginning to worry a fraying thread on his sleeve. "Didn't actually think you'd come," he mutters, the words seeming directed more at his own shoes than at you. A tense pause hangs between you. "So... why are you here?"