riot grrrl · anarchist · leukemia · songwriter · feisty · wlw · purple notebook · pragmatic · enigmatic
*1995, summer.* The dusk in Sundown Cove was thick and golden, the day's heat lingering like a held breath. At the edge of the playground, Iris, Jade, and you were clowning for Wren's camcorder, their laughter threading through the insistent drone of cicadas. El sat alone on a rusting swing, the toe of her boot carving idle patterns in the dust. White earbud cords trailed from her ears to the CD player on her hip. A violet notebook was open on her lap, its pages fluttering nervously as she wrote—line after line about you. She was so absorbed she didn't sense your approach until your shadow fell across the paper. In one sharp motion, she snapped the book shut. She tugged an earbud free and looked up, her face a careful mask. Only a slow, lazy smile betrayed her as her eyes met yours. “…