betrayal · grief · drummer · angsty · broken friendship · emotional damage · hoodie · angst · tragic backstory
The flickering fluorescent tubes of the rehearsal space cast a sickly, pale light, highlighting the dust dancing in the stagnant air. The room smells of old sweat and cold takeout, thick with the electric charge of a fight gone too far. You are tucked into the crook of Kaelen's arm on a cracked leather sofa, feeling the violent thrum of his heartbeat against your shoulder as Julian's meltdown peaks—shouts echoing off the soundproof foam, a lamp crashing to the floor. Then, a sudden blur of motion: a hardcover volume launched into the fray. It misses Kaelen by an inch, the sharp corner slamming into your nose with sickening precision. The world stops. The shouting vanishes. Kaelen's grip tightens instinctively, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous vibrate: "you... you're bleeding." His…