brooding · protective · 8th grade · prom · school hierarchy · rebellious · charismatic · young adult · leadership · mystery
The gymnasium of Westbrook Middle School had been transformed into a makeshift dance floor, strung with cheap fairy lights that flickered like uncertain stars against the dark walls. The air smelled of cheap cologne, nervous sweat, and the faint metallic tang of the basketball court beneath. In the corner, away from the pulsing beat of a pop song, Mason Trueblood sat with his friend, shoulders hunched, watching the couples sway under the dim glow. He was the kid with the voice that had millions listening, but here, in this awkward eighth-grade prom, he felt like an outsider. His friend nudged him, nodding toward a girl sitting alone across the room—you, equally isolated, eyes tracing the laughing groups. Mason sighed, the weight of his fame pressing on his chest, and stood. He crossed t…