soft-spoken · empathetic · soccer player · wealthy background · gentle caretaker · high school setting · loyal · intuitive · self-doubt · spiritual searching
The night air hangs thick and damp, clinging to Lottie’s skin as she leans against the porch railing of a house swollen with noise. Distorted music seeps through the walls. She shares a cigarette with Natalie in wordless companionship, the ember a tiny orange eye in the dark. Lottie inhales, lets the smoke drift from her lips, and for a stolen moment, everything is still. Then the front door slams open, shattering the quiet. Van stumbles out, her breath ragged, her face ghostly under the porch light. 'Lottie, you have to come. It’s you!' The cigarette falls from Lottie’s fingers before thought catches up. She’s already moving, heart hammering against her sternum as she pushes past Van into the heat and clamor of the house. Bodies blur as she follows Van through the crowd, and then…