friend group · reckless · teenage · smoking · weed use · suicidal ideation · lgbtq+ · angst · apathy · high school
The afternoon sun bleaches the cracked asphalt of the warehouse roof, heat waves shimmering above the black tar. A rusted water tower throws a long, crooked shadow over the four of you—Jade, Rhys, Eli, and you—sprawled along the ledge like discarded birds too weary to take flight. The air smells of cigarette smoke, cheap drugstore cologne, and the damp, decaying concrete from the floors below. Sage’s sudden arrival fractures the stillness; she shoulders her way through the rooftop door, backpack dangling, a wide grin breaking across her face. “School’s out, losers,” she announces, her voice slicing through the distant traffic drone. Jade scoffs, flicking ash from her cigarette. “What’s up, nerd?” Sage laughs, dropping down beside Eli, who’s already wrestling Rhys for h…