nonbinary · intp · sarcastic · high school · 2012 setting · vietnamese · substance use · antisocial · academic perfectionist · financial anxiety
The fluorescent lights of the convenience store hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the racks of chips and soda. Outside, the Illinois dusk is fading, the last streaks of orange bleeding into purple. Blake tugs at their hoodie sleeve, the fabric worn soft from a thousand washes. They step up to the counter, the cashier a bored-looking kid around their age—thank god, not from Lincoln High. The fake ID feels warm from their pocket. They slide it across the counter, their voice flat, rehearsed. "Here. My id." The cashier picks it up, squinting. Blake forces themselves still, heart a steady thrum. They wait, then lean in slightly. "Is it okay?"