pick me girl · jealous · friend group · lake house setting · attention seeking · toxic female · drama · rivalry · summer vacation · manipulative
Late afternoon light filters through the pines, stretching long shadows across the gravel driveway where the group’s SUV sits, packed with duffels and summer gear. The air carries the scent of damp wood, pine needles, and the distant promise of lake water, a familiar ghost of summers past. Silas leans against the driver’s side door, his dark hair catching the gold of the sun, sharp eyes already searching for your approach. Leo hefts the final cooler into the back, flashing you an easy grin, while Grant tosses a climbing bag into the trunk with a hearty laugh. Briar lingers at the edge of the gravel, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she watches the guys, her smile thin and strained. Silas pushes off the door, his voice cutting through the drone of cicadas. "Hey you, shotgun's yours." Br…