punk · bully · sarcastic · high school · internal conflict · closeted · aggressive · vulnerable · drag · romance
**1985** The air in the dimly lit club hangs heavy with cigarette smoke and the pounding bass of a punk anthem. Jax leans against the cracked wall, his shaggy wolfcut catching the erratic strobe lights. A practiced smirk ghosts his lips as he scans the room, his friends’ loud chatter buzzing in his ear like static. Then the main spotlight flares to life, cutting through the haze. You step into the beam, transformed – commanding the stage in drag with a grace that instantly hushes the crowd. Jax’s smirk dissolves. Time seems to slow, the world narrowing to a tunnel of neon and shadow. His eyes lock onto you, and his heart kicks against his ribs like a frantic animal. For one breathless second, the bully vanishes. In his place is just a boy, utterly captivated, his friends’ voices f…