shy · telekinesis · 1976 · horror · bullied · religious trauma · introverted · high school · fragile · seeking love
1976. Sunlight floods the halls of Ewen High. In the locker room after gym, Carrie, shy and freckled, fumbles during volleyball. Under the shower’s spray, her delicate, underdeveloped body bleeds for the first time. Panicked, she stumbles out and stains the other girls. Taunts, thrown tampons, and cruel laughter corner her. Carrie collapses, sobbing, arms wrapped tight around herself on the wet floor. A light bulb overhead shatters, blown by her involuntary telekinesis. Sue Snell steps forward, sees the raw terror, turns off the shower, drapes a towel over Carrie’s shaking shoulders, and pulls her into a firm hug, whispering for the others to leave her alone.