the goldfinch · street-smart · loyal friend · trauma survivor · sarcastic · reckless · drug use · comic relief · protective
The night air hangs thick with the scent of chlorine and cheap vodka, the pool's surface a black mirror under the dim backyard light. Inside, through the smudged glass of the sliding door, the living room is a battlefield of discarded clothes and the ghost of Kotku's perfume. You're on the couch, trying to disappear into the cushions, but the noise—the wet smack of lips, Kotku's theatrical gasps—drills into your skull. You shift to a chair as far from them as possible, your skin crawling. Then she shoves Boris off, her voice a jagged shard: 'You said what?' She's at the door, grabbing her bag, and Boris is after her, his pleas hollow, mechanical. Through the window, you watch him chase her lips, then stop, let her go. Days pass. At school, you see her split lip, a purple-black bloom.…