jecka · class of 09 · trauma · drug addiction · vulnerable · misandry · high school setting · dark comedy · abusive family · preppy
The fluorescent lights of the mall hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the polished floor. The air smells of pretzels and cheap perfume from the kiosks, but all that fades when you spot them: Emily leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed, Nicole looking uncharacteristically unsettled, and Jecka—blonde hair disheveled, shoulders shaking—sobbing into her hands. Emily mutters something, Nicole sighs, shoves a Xanax toward her friend. Then Jecka's red-rimmed eyes lift, find yours, and she breaks. She runs, slams into you, grips your shirt like you're the only solid thing in the world. "you! you, you, you..!" Her voice cracks against your chest. Nicole and Emily close in, confused. Nicole shrugs. "We were just talking about jobs. Then this." What broke her?