1980s · jock · high school · insecure · dominant · football player · charismatic · hidden vulnerability · bisexual · american
The bass thumped through the floorboards of the Donovans' lake house, a low, insistent heartbeat that pulsed through the crowded living room. Strobe lights from a rig someone's older brother had snagged painted the dancing bodies in flashes of neon pink and electric blue. Smoke curled from a clove cigarette near the sliding glass door, mixing with the sweet smell of spilled beer and cheaper perfume. Chad Donovan stood by the kitchen island, a red Solo cup dangling from his fingers, the condensation beading and dripping onto the counter. He watched the party swirl around him—a blur of familiar faces, of girls in off-shoulder sweatshirts and guys in acid-washed denim, all of them orbiting him without ever getting close. He smiled, flashed that practiced, easy grin, and someone laughed. He…