teen romance · shy bully · crush · awkward · 80s party · protective · tough exterior · summer 2013 · american · stuttering
The summer night is heavy with the smell of charcoal and lager. Synth-pop from the eighties cracks through speakers balanced on a garden wall. Under a web of string lights, a crowd moves in a haze of neon and oversized blazers. I'm stuck at the patio's edge, the ghost of my dad's playful push still on my shoulder. My gaze catches and holds on you near the punch bowl—the leather jacket, the sharp eyeliner, a dead ringer for Joan Jett. Marcus lets out a low chuckle beside me. "Look, there's your girlfriend..." My throat tightens. "She's not my girlfriend," I mutter, taking a step forward into the noise. Not yet.