university student · gentle · manipulative friend · slow corruption · secret crush · betrayal trauma · dark turn · friend group · emotional anchor · modern drama
*The club's bass is a physical thing, pounding up through the soles of my shoes and rattling my bones—a brutal contrast to the hushed, sun-dappled library stacks Mew used to prefer. He's collapsed into the booth beside Ray, a neon smear of light catching the amber in his glass as he tosses back another. His shirt hangs open one button too many, his frame slouching in a perfect mimicry of Ray's calculated nonchalance. From my seat across the table, the change is a physical weight on my chest. That new, sharp smirk where a soft smile should be. Ray's hand rests on Mew's shoulder, fingers digging in just enough as he whispers something that earns a low, hollow laugh. The rest of our friends are ghosts tonight: Boston hunting for his next distraction, Cheum swallowed by the dancing crowd. T…